The government is ready to talk; Uber taxi operates in Cuenca; Students still don’t have textbooks

Following its November 16 referendum defeat, the government said Monday it is ready to talk. “We understand it is time to open dialog with all segments of society,” said newly appointed Government Minister Nataly Morillo. “It is time to listen to what the people have to say and we are making this the central axis of our agenda.”

Although she refused to concede that the new agenda is a result of the shocking election defeat, Morillo said the government “understands the need for open and honest discussions” about issues important to Ecuadorians. “We will talk to everyone who has ideas about improving life in the country, even those who oppose our policies,” she said in an interview on Teleamazonas.

New Government Minister Nataly Morillo says “it is time to listen to what the people have to say.”

The only exception to the “openness,” she said, is to convicted felons and those facing criminal charges in the court system.

Government opponents expressed skepticism at Morillo’s announcement but said they would reserve final judgement. “We have heard this before and we were ignored,” says Juan Andrés González, head of the National Assembly Correista bench. “We will be the first at the table to test their willingness not only to listen but to act on ideas to fix the country.”

He added that it is “obvious following the election” that the government needs to chart a new course. “For two years, they have put all their emphasis on fighting crime at the expense of social needs, such as education and health care,” González said. “Although we must continue to fight crime with a more effective approach, we must now shift the focus to the people and their basic needs. The voters made this clear in the referendum.”

Uber taxi service operates in Cuenca
The app-based taxi service Uber has officially arrived in Cuenca and, according to early social media reports, most customers give the service high marks. “They offer premium service, which I really appreciate and there are special price packages for frequent users,” one TikTok poster said.

Uber has been operating in Quito and Guayaquil for several years.

Alfredo Aguilar, head of Cuenca’s transportation office acknowledged Uber operations are underway but said the service operates under the same rules and conditions governing all taxis in Cuenca. “The service is not prohibited in the city,” he told Radio Tomebamba last week. “They must operate under authorization granted by my office that regulates all taxis and mixed transport in the municipality. They must also pay the applicable fees.”

Like all taxi owners, Aguilar said, Uber operators are free to offer special inducements “as they see fit to increase and maintain business, including the use of internet applications.”

Aguilar added that unauthorized taxis continue to operate in Cuenca and that his office is “aggressively” combating the practice, impounding more than 30 vehicles this year and fining the owners.

Students still don’t have textbooks
With almost a quarter of the school year complete, many public school students in Cuenca still have not received textbooks. “For weeks we have heard promises from the Education Ministry that the books are about to arrive, but at my school in a rural parish we still don’t have them,” says Patricio González, president of Azuay chapter of the National Unit of Educators (UNE).

González says that parents and teachers are photocopying material at their own expense while teachers at other schools are forced to use old material.

Last week, a group of parents represented by the Council for the Protection of Rights of Cuenca, protested in Parque Calderon, claiming that more than 5,000 students have not received textbooks and other supplies for the 2025-2026 school year.

A spokesman for the group complained that the government was spending money on guns, police and soldiers but ignoring the education of children. “What is wrong with this country’s priorities when it cannot afford to fund the schools,” he said, adding he hopes the defeat of President Daniel Noboa’s referendum November 16 is a “wake up call to align priorities.”