Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

In an effort to provide passengers with more security, last year the Municipality of Callao limited the number of taxis that had access to Jorge Chavez Airport.

The municipality's goal was to keep people arriving to Peru from being robbed by criminals posing as taxi drivers.

However, this solution has had a side effect, said José Danós, head of Callao's transport council stating taxi fares were extremely high.

Danós explained that prices set by Taxi Green, a company authorized by Lima Airport Partners (LAP) to work on the grounds, were so high that people preferred to take taxis outside the airport.

He assured this greatly increased the risk of someone being robbed.

The high prices were attributed to the fact that taxi companies had to pay LAP a fee for parking at the airport and picking up passengers. Taxis wait in three lanes for people to take to hotels or other destinations.

With the intention of helping consumers in Peru, the Municipality of Callao promulgated a law that opens one of the three lanes to more taxi companies.

LAP will only be able to charge companies for parking in the first two lanes while the third will be free of charge.

Authorities hope this opens the door to more competition and lower prices.

Taxi companies that park in the third lane will be screened by police and municipal authorities.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

Approximately 17,000 public transportation vehicles that exceed legal age limits need to be taken off Lima's streets, said Peru's National Human Rights Institution.

The institution affirmed that these old vehicles were the main cause of pollution in Peru's capital and the reason for many respiratory illnesses such as rhinitis, asthma and pharyngitis.

The Municipality of Lima needs to put its "Vehicular Scrap Metal Plan" into effect as soon as possible, said Beatriz Merino, head of the National Human Rights Institution.

She explained that a great deal of Lima's people were suffering because of the harmful gases being emitted by public transportation vehicles that have been in operation for more than 15 years.

In a report issued by Merino, she stated that the Municipality of Lima has proposed to progressively rid the capital of these old buses and vans by 2012.

She explained part of the municipal plan involved paying owners between $1000 and $3000 for turning their old vehicle into scrap metal.

Even though a plan has been established, the Municipality of Lima has told the Human Rights Institution they do not have the funds to start the program, Merino said.

In other statements, the national institution affirmed that the municipality's new bus station and mass transport system would only serve 7 percent of the capital's commuters.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

Juan Carlos Zevallos, head of Peru's supervisory authority for the investment in public transport infrastructure - OSITRAN affirmed that Lima's Jorge Chavez Airport did not need more space.

Zevallos made these statements in response to requests made last week by Lima Airport Partners (LAP) to use government-owned property to expand airport facilities.

LAP, which was awarded a 30-year concession in February 2001, has assured the airport does not have enough space for the planes it must keep at the terminal overnight.

Jaime Daly, LAP's general manager has explained that more airlines are making Jorge Chavez their hub and tourism is to continue increasing.

The head of OSITRAN has assured that LAP only wants more land for commercial use and that the airport has enough space for another five years.

"LAP doesn't need more land. The area in the concession contract has been foreseen, established and completed. What they want is to extend their commercial operations, but that's not part of the deal," said Zevallos.

According to LAP's corporate affairs manager Claudia Vivanco, the land is needed to build a maintenance area for planes.

Vivanco explained the state had not provided LAP with 12,000 square meters of land granted to them in concession contracts and that the government had taken another 4,000 square meters of their property.

Peru's Jorge Chávez International Airport needs additional parking spaces for at least ten planes and to that end, the government could provide state property that is currently not being used, affirmed Jaime Daly, the general manager of Lima Airport Partners (LAP).

"We need more space right now, not only to park a larger number of planes but also to build a maintenance centre, aside from the land required for the construction of a second runway", Daly told Andina.

He mentioned that as passenger traffic to Lima's airport continues to grow, more international airlines such as TACA and LAN are increasing flight frequencies to Peru.

"LAN told us they are purchasing more planes to fly in and out of the country, but we need more space to park their planes overnight", Daly added.

At present, 30 planes are parked overnight at Jorge Chavez Airport when there is only space for 32 aircrafts.

Daly explained LAP was talking to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to see if the government could provide them with state property that is currently not being used.

LAP has invested $230 million in Jorge Chavez Airport and is to invest another $100 million in its expansion.

News source: ANDINA

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

An increasing number of travelers leaving and entering Peru is pushing Lima Airport Partners (LAP) to open another runway and make space for a greater number of planes and airlines.

The space needed by airlines cannot be satisfied, thus limiting the development of Jorge Chavez International, the country's most important airport, affirmed Jaime Daly, the general manager of LAP.

Daly explained that aside from the land required for the construction of an additional runway, which is to be built between 2009 and 2013, airlines needed more space to park and work on their planes.

It was reported the airport is much shorter on space because increased efficiency as well as a rise in tourism have made Jorge Chavez the South American hub for airlines such as LAN and Taca.

Jorge Chavez is currently at over 80 percent its capacity and frequently uses 90 percent of its space.

Daly explained LAP was talking to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to see if the government could provide them with state property that is currently not being used.

LAP has invested $230 million in Jorge Chavez Airport and is to invest another $100 million in its expansion.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

In an effort to keep more highway accidents from taking place in Peru, the country's Ministry of Transportation has suspended the operation of three bus companies.

The ministry is investigating and has suspended the services provided by Salazar Bus Company, Cavassa Bus Company and Soyuz Bus Company, which has been suspended two times in the past several weeks.

Ministry representatives reported Salazar and Cavassa bus companies did not have enough drivers to cover trips that were more than five hours long and over 400 kilometers in length.

During highway inspections performed before inter-province buses are allowed to leave the region of Lima, authorities found that Salazar and Cavassa did not have enough drivers to rotate shifts for the long trips they had begun.

In the case of Soyuz Bus Company, the ministry of transportation reported that a previous suspension would not be lifted until the company could provide information proving their drivers were not working extremely long shifts.

It was reported that bus drivers were working up to ten hours straight without resting.

The company's entire fleet has been ordered to stop transporting passengers. Soyuz was involved in an accident in July that left over twenty people dead and sixty injured.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

After Peru's government announced it had reduced fuel subsidies on Tuesday, prices at gas stations around the country almost immediately began to rise.

According to local media, 70 percent of Lima's gas stations modified fuel prices when Petro-Peru announced it would be raising the cost of fuel.

The state-run energy company increased the price of 84-octane gasoline by 0.64 soles per gallon.

In the case of diesel, the cost went up 0.48 soles per gallon and 1.01 soles per gallon for two types of industrial oils.

The government reiterated that higher-octane gasoline would not be subsidized at all, explaining this kind of fuel was usually used by Peru's higher class.

Juan Valdivia, the Andean country's Minister of Energy and Mines affirmed the government would gradually reduce its fuel stabilization fund until subsidies were eliminated.

On the other hand, the minister noted that fuels which contaminated the environment less would continue to be covered by the stabilization fund, which was established in 2004.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

According to Peru's Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MTC), 90 percent of the country's accidents are caused by human error.

Juan Tapia Grillo, head of the transport investigation center is suspicious of this figure, however, stating that it is almost always the driver's fault.

With bus drivers in Peru being accused of everything from driving over 15 hours non-stop and even driving drunk, serious concern has been raised and the government is slowly taking action.

While the Ministry of Transportation has announced that it is being more severe with sanctions and inspections are taking place all over the country, only two charges have been brought to the country's judicial power.

Peru's Public Ministry is pressing charges against Sol Andino Bus Company and Libertadores Bus Company for irregularities in Desaguadero and La Oroya.

Other than these two cases, there are several dozen "pending" or still being investigated by the country's national police.

Another problem is the amount of drivers bus companies hire. According to Jorge Villasante, the vice minister of transportation, bus companies should have at least two drivers per bus.

Turismo Libertadores has a fleet of 19 buses with only 14 workers on its payroll. Transportes Caplina is reported to have 34 buses and only 48 workers while Expreso Huamanga has six workers for 34 buses.

Another factor in almost daily bus accidents is how old the vehicles are. Buses in Mexico cannot be more than ten years old while in Peru there are buses over 30 years old on the highway.

For instance, 58 percent of the 65 buses run by Tepsa Bus Company were built between 1977 and 1978.

Five hundred people have been killed in 170 highway accidents over the past thirteen months in Peru.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

After a series of bus accidents in July and August left 84 people dead in 11 days, Peru's Ministry of Transportation has tightened up on bus companies around the country.

Charges have been pressed against Civa Bus Company for using the same license plate number on different buses while buses for Soyuz and Caplina have been restricted from leaving bus stations.

The Ministry of Transportation reported that services provided by Soyuz Bus Company had been suspended because drivers were being allowed to work an excessive amount of hours.

In the case of Caplina, it was reported that buses were leaving stations with only one driver when two were required.

According to the ministry's supervisory directorate in Ica, it was found that at least five bus drivers for Soyuz were working ten-hour shifts without resting.

This is the second time Soyuz' bus fleet has been restricted from operating in less than ten days.

Just last week, transportation officials claimed the company was operating without insurance.

Sanctions have also been brought against Caplina Tourism Company for allowing one driver to bring passengers from the region of Tacna to Lima, a 1,293-kilometer (803-mile) trip.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

After almost 20 years of not having safety and emissions inspections in Peru, in September 2007 many applauded the establishment of a company that would handle them in Lima.

Unfortunately, the organization of Lidercon - the company in charge of handling inspections - and how the inspections were being carried out were not up to the standards of the Municipality of Lima and all operations were brought to a halt just six months after they had begun.

The Municipality of Lima canceled Lidercon's contract and affirmed inspections would no longer be handled by the Spanish company.

After a six-month legal dispute, Lidercon has announced that their inspection sites will reopen their doors to motorists in Lima, who will have to begin taking their vehicles to them beginning Wednesday August 13.

All private vehicles that have a license plate number ending in 6 will have to be taken to inspection sites throughout August.

In the case of public transport vehicles, all those having a license plate number ending in the number 1 or 5 will also have to be taken in for inspections.

It was announced that the Municipality of Lima is no longer overseeing inspections but that the country's Ministry of Transportation is to be in charge of regulating and supervising them in Lima and throughout Peru.