Cabifys web site
Cabify will start operations in Costa Rica, heating up a market of private transport that is already shaken by the sudden incursion of Uber in August 2015.
The mobile application of Spanish origin is similar to the US company: it allows contact between drivers and users through a digital platform.
The company confirmed its interest in the country since May. Now Cabify’s official website features San José among the cities where the company operates.
With the message ‘soon’, the company reiterates that it will be a matter of days to begin their operation in the streets of the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM).
One of the main differences between Cabify and Uber is the exclusion of the time period of the trip within the tariff and the possibility of booking previous trips with the travel fare already included.
Cabify also lets you choose the type of vehicle that the user needs: sedan, executive, luxury van or taxi.
Cabify operates in Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Portugal and it was founded in Madrid in 2011 by Juan Antonio Rubio, an engineer in telecommunications.
Rubio said in previous interviews in his country that the company is very leery with the regulation of the countries where they intend to operate.
Other aspects of Cabify include a mandatory liability insurance for users, the fact that it follows the legal regulations of the cities where it operates and that it gives formal taxi drivers the possibility of using the app. In addition, drivers get 20% of the total cost per trip, which can be booked with 3 types of Lite vehicles (standard vehicles), Executive vehicles or Group vehicles (6 passengers).