The Executive Board of the Public Transportation Council (Spanish initials: CTP) of Costa Rica has determined that the controversial private transportation service Uber does not conform to standing law in our country.

The resolution by CTP comes after weeks of debate and protest from the taxicab labor unions and lawmakers. This determination makes it difficult for Uber, which has a headquarters office in the United States, to gain a legal foothold to operate in Costa Rica, a market that held promise for the San Francisco-based company.

News of the CTP resolution were announced by Gilberth Ureña, spokesman for the National Forum of Taxi Drivers, in a press release and radio broadcast. The announcement explained that the resolution was reached after an agreement between the CTP and the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (Spanish acronym: MOPT).

This development is surprising not only because it leaves Uber with little recourse insofar as legal operation in Costa Rica but also because it is quite rare to see CTP and MOPT come to an agreement in just a couple of days. Typical CTP and MOPT resolutions are drawn-out affairs plagued with bickering and legal challenges in boardrooms and courtrooms, and the legal quandaries created by these two government entities in Costa Rica usally take years to untangle.

The National Forum of Taxi Drivers, a powerful labor union in Costa Rica, is calling on its members to join the massive strike and political march against the current administration on Sunday, September 13^th, just two days before Independence Day. This planned political display of disagreement on a number of issues is being called as the “mother of all rallies” (MOAR), but some analysts are not sure that celebrating this anti-Uber victory during MOAR will be adequate.