This Monday 25, drivers from different cantons located their units on the sides of some roads in the capital of Manabi.
Portoviejo-Machala-Ambato
Dozens of taxi drivers from various cantons of Manabí traveled to the city of Portoviejo on the morning of Monday 25 to participate in a sit-in in opposition to various government measures, mainly the cost of fuel. That claim was replicated in other cities in the country.
Last Friday, the president, Guillermo Lasso, announced the suspension of the monthly increases in fuel prices and thus specified new prices for extra gasoline or eco-country ($ 2.55) and diesel ($ 1.90) . These values showed an increase with respect to the costs that were in force since last October 12, that is, ecopaís at $ 2.50 and diesel at $ 1.69.
Given this, Jimmy Bolaños, leader of the Union of Taxis Cooperatives of Manabí and president of the Camilo Briones Cevallos taxi cooperative, indicated that the mobilization was adopted in a general assembly of the provincial union to ask the national government to rectify and lower the Extra gallon and diesel prices.
Today, the drivers of different cooperatives located their units on the sides of some roads in the Manabi capital. The sit-in did not generate road closures, since the units were precisely on the sides of several streets. For example, at the entrance to Portoviejo, on the road to Montecristi and Manta and in the surroundings of the Manabí Government building.
Bolaños pointed out that, for example, the cost of $ 2.55 for a gallon of extra generates losses and the inability to pay debts with the bank, mainly to those who made loans to acquire new units. The proposal of the taxi drivers is that the cost of the gallon of extra is $ 2, while the gallon of diesel is $ 1.50.
“One of the proposals was to freeze the price of fuel and rather increased it,” declared Bolaños, who did not want to anticipate whether in the next few hours or days the taxi sector will merge with the measures that are announced and that begin this Tuesday 26 at the national level.
Several taxi leaders met with the governor of Manabí to deliver the list of requests, mainly to reduce the price of a gallon of fuel.
In Machala
More than two thousand taxi drivers from Machala went out to a march that advanced along Avenida 25 de Junio to the exterior of the El Oro Governor’s Office building, this Monday morning.
The union leaders indicated that among their claims is the rejection of the freezing of fuel prices.
“We are demanding the Government for the increase in fuel that affects the entire transport sector, the prices of food also increased and that represents an economic impact on our union”, said Manuel Olmedo, president of the Provincial Union of Taxi Drivers from El Oro.
For his part, the general secretary of the El Oro Drivers Union, Jorge Granda, stated that there is no compensation from the Government and that the taxi union is one of the most affected transportation sectors.
The taxi drivers gathered outside the government building, where a police contingent guarded the security of the entity. Signs displayed by the protesters contained a request for the Government to set $ 2 a gallon for eco-country gasoline.
Ambato
Dozens of taxi drivers staged a demonstration in the center of Ambateña to publicize their disagreement with the freezing of extra gasoline (ecopaís) at $ 2.55 per gallon. They ask that it be set at $ 2.
Édgar Cisneros, a member of the United Agencies cooperative, assured that when the fuel was at $ 1.45 he filled the tank with $ 8 and $ 10, while at present he does it with $ 20. For this reason, he said that he works at a loss because even the rates are the same for several years.
He assured that in addition, the inputs they use to maintain the units require more expenses. The costs of tires, oils and all kinds of spare parts have risen, he said.
For both reasons, he said they hope not to raise rates, but they want to be heard so that the price of extra gasoline is set at $ 2, otherwise they will continue with the protest measures in a peaceful manner.
Today, some 1,500 units marched and a similar number continued to provide service to the community.
Manuel García, president of the Union of Transport Cooperatives in Taxis, regretted that the national government, after more than four months of dialogue, has frozen the extra gasoline at $ 2.55, a value that is “unsustainable” to maintain the operations of the sector. , said. (I)
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