{"id":15190,"date":"2026-08-01T17:03:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T22:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=15190"},"modified":"2026-08-01T09:05:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T14:05:42","slug":"veraguas-taxi-protest-against-ride-hailing-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/people-opinions-language\/veraguas-taxi-protest-against-ride-hailing-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"Veraguas Taxi Protest against Ride-Hailing Apps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

More than 500 licensed taxi operators in central Panama brought their frustrations directly to regulators this week, staging a caravan through Santiago<\/a> and amplifying calls that have echoed from the capital to the interior provinces. The Veraguas taxi protest crystallized months of simmering tension as drivers representing four local organizations descended on the Land Transit and Transportation Authority<\/a> (ATTT) offices, armed with a formal petition demanding immediate action against digital ride-hailing platforms<\/a> they call an existential threat to their livelihoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veraguas Taxi Protest and the Battle for regulatory fairness<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The organized caravan snaked through Santiago’s streets Thursday morning before converging at the ATTT headquarters. Drivers argue the imbalance is stark and undeniable. They carry professional licenses, maintain commercial insurance policies covering both vehicle and passengers, and adhere to inspection requirements that have governed Panamanian transit for decades. Meanwhile, app-based competitors roll into the province with what transport leaders describe as near-total regulatory freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by Metro Libre (@metrolibre)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n