“They are legal because they also work on the principle of legality, because many of them work in a car rental figure with driver that is part of the Colombian legal system. More than 100,000 people generate revenue through digital mobility platforms and they should be at the center of the discussion, because we are not talking about regulating an activity in the future, but regulating a legal activity,” López said. (See: Agreements between Government and Taxi Drivers: Attack on Illegality in Transportation Apps). With this obligation of people who receive income, the union demands to work according to this premise, because the `maintenance` of some families would be at stake. It`s not just about the freedom to choose, which is an argument. Citizens of the twenty-first century do not have to be subject to monopolies and choose how they want to transport themselves in cases like Bogotá, where the supply of mobility is much lower than the demand,” he said. For companies like Cabify, statements like President Petro`s could repeat what López said: “Work within the existing legal framework.” In Colombia, we have over 70,000 drivers in our residential, business and shipping vehicle categories available on our platform. We are confident that clear and balanced rules will promote healthy competition, citizens` freedom of choice and legal certainty in the country,” the company said. (See: This is the Ministry of Transportation`s new infrastructure roadmap.) Although the debate is still in the eye of Hurricane Lopez, Lopez said they will meet with Transportation Minister Guillermo Reyes in the coming days to discuss the issue. “We are already preparing concrete proposals,” he concluded. Uber commented on the issue, dismissing misinformation from what they described as a minority sector.

“We demand that the freedoms and rights of all Colombians be guaranteed,” they said in a statement. Congressman Mauricio Toro, who was one of the main standard-bearers when he proposed regulations allowing platforms to get out of illegality in the country, noted that “now that the strategies are revealed, it is even clearer that Uber never wanted Colombia to have a law.” (Also Read: They Ban iPhone and iPad 5G Sales in Colombia) He explained that in his proposal to legalize transport applications in the country, there are requirements such as: the payment of taxes on profits; the driver`s rights; Passenger protection and equal taxi requirements. In addition, he asked why the government of Iván Duque in 4 years has so strongly prevented the bill from moving forward in Congress? Who has benefited from 4 years of no regulation? In legal terms, these applications, which intervene in the transport of passengers by private vehicles, still have no regulation, remain©in a gray which, almost according to the will of the technologies, leaves the well-being of drivers and users and, as the taxi guild maintains, constitutes unfair competition for those who have been responsible for this work for days©. During these nine years, taxi drivers have argued for the need to ban these platforms from the country, as they are “exempt from multiple costs they have to bear”, while the apps ensure that Colombia must adapt to the need for new modes of transport. (See: Cabify would support ideas for inclusive regulation of mobility apps.) In the midst of this controversy and with the introduction of more platforms from 2015 (Cabify) to 2019 (Didi), mobility apps have managed to adapt their business model to Colombian politics, despite the bumps presented to give clear regulation.