Cuenca taxi union says it’s time to increases fares; Update bus Movilízate cards at recharge locations

Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del sábado, 22/11) Muestra fotográfica en Museo de Paja Toquilla (Photo exhibit at the Museo de Paja Toquilla) – The Museo de la Paja Toquilla y el Sombrero is showing a photo exhibit, “La fiesta religiosa en la comunidad campesina” (The religious festival in the rural community), a visual tour of the devotion and traditions that are kept alive in the rural communities in the region. It contains 46 photos by Byron Leiva who documented Catholic celebrations in 2023: the fiesta in honor of the Señor del la Ascensión in the La Trinidad community, and in San Agustín in Punta Corral, Turi parish.

Despite inflation of almost 20%, taxi fares in Cuenca have not increased since 2014.

Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del viernes, 21/11) Aún no hay fecha para tarifa de taxis (No date yet for taxi fares) – According to Lenín Guzmán, manager of the Empresa de Movilidad of Cuenca, there is still no date to start revising taxi fares. He explained that the Dirección de Gestión de Movilidad (DGM) is responsible for conducting technical studies that will determine possible fare adjustments in the city, and resolutions on this issue need to go before the Concejo Cantonal de Cuenca for approval or denial. In the meantime, EMOV EP will keep conducting operations to verify the obligatory use of meters by drivers since there have been complaints about drivers who don’t use them, especially in rural routes. The local ordinance calls for drivers who don’t use their meters to be fined 125% of the basic salary multiplied by 8. Repeat offences can get these drivers’ operating permits cancelled. Nationally, the Código Orgánico Integral Penal (COIP) has a sanction of 15% of the SBU (Salario Básico Unificado) and loss of 4 or 5 points from the driver’s license.

Juan Llivichusca, president of the Unión de Cooperativas de Transporte en Taxi del Azuay (UCTTA), has asked for a meeting with Mayor Zamora to talk about updating fares which have not been changed since 2014 <Doesn’t feel like 11 years have passed since the last fare revision. I feel like I’m living in dog years where one human year is like 7 years in a dog’s life. Or is it the other way around?> The union is also asking for more control since there are taxis from other cantons which are operating in Cuenca without authorization. It also complained about private vehicles which are providing taxi-like services, especially in rural areas.

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 21/11) Se actualizan datos de la tarjetas de bus Movilízate (Movilízate bus card data is being updated) – El jueves, the Cámara de Transporte de Cuenca (CTC) started the process of updating data on the Movilízate cards to link each card with the user’s cédula number. This “paperwork” is obligatory for all passengers and can be done on the Movilízate app, at approved recharge locations, or directly at the authorized CTC offices. There is no charge. The process is similar to that used for preferential cards <issued to adultos mayores, disabled and student passengers>. You can link various cards to the same cédula, and in the future you can access interoperability with the Tranvía system. <Assuming your physical card is still in one piece and legible many years from now.> In addition to recharging locations, you can also recharge at stops and on trains.