For the company’s directors, the bill that seeks to regulate the operation in Panama generates “more uncertainty and affects the investment of multinational companies.”
The use of an operation certificate, the identification of the car with Uber‘s logo and the fact that the driver has an E1 type license, are other proposals that the bill presented to the Assembly compiles. See full bill.
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Regarding the proposal, Gabriel Gutierrez, manager of Uber in Panama, explained to Martesfinanciero.com that “… The situation is quite worrying for Uber because of the legal uncertainty in which we are currently. We were not included, and although we were already regulated in October 2017 with a decree that was not ideal, since it includes geographic restrictions to operate and limits to collect cash, we have been operating within that regulatory framework.”
Gutierrez added that “… The regulation has several sensitive points. First of all, it says that it is a regulation for the Uber system, but a law cannot go against a particular company; industries must be regulated. Second, Uber is being ‘taxified’ because drivers are forced to paint the cars and place the logo, the driving partners are completely at odds with this measure. These are private cars. And thirdly, we are being limited and restricting operations even more because before we were allowed to operate in Arraijan, in La Chorrera, in all of Panama City and in Colón, but with this draft we could only operate in Panama City.”
If Panama wants economic growth they have to look at becoming more efficient. Panama at present is running at about 20% efficiency which means workers produce only 20% of what is produced per worker in highly efficient countries. For Panama and the workers of Panama to have a better living they have to have more efficiently not less. What they should do is allow all regular licensed cabs of Panama to also use Uber if their cars meet the qualifications this would expand the options for riders and drivers and level things to eliminate price gauging by un metered cabs who steal and rape the riders at times and is currently a very unsafe system of unregulated mafia system of gangsters. Panama should be looking at how to have a highly efficient public transportations system. They should also encourage the local Uber competitors. Regulation should not stifle anyone but should encourage growth and efficiency.