Reports indicate that taxi drivers in Colombia are involved with illegal armed groups (guerrilla and paramilitary) and in crime, whether as victims or as perpetrators.

A report on the "spillover" of the Colombian conflict into neighbouring Ecuador refers to "seemingly hundreds of pick-up truck taxi drivers who shuttle goods and people-both civilians and rebels in civilian clothes-to and from Colombia" (Bolivia Hoy July 2000). A recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report refers to paramilitaries operating in the city of Barrancabermeja contracting "taxi drivers for a whole month of service" (Sept. 2001). A report on "cartels" running a black market for oil extracted illegally from pipelines, in or near Barrancabermeja, mentions that taxis and buses are among their main clients (BBC News 22 Feb. 2001). The report adds that "the local government in most of the poor areas in Barrancabermeja is the guerrillas, and they take their cut of the trade" (ibid.).

A 13 May 2001 article from The Miami Herald refers to taxi drivers "who kidnap their clients at gunpoint and drive them around to several ATM [automatic teller machines] to drain their accounts." A recent "Consular Information Sheet" of the United States Department of State reports that "illegal taxis, which are sometimes characterized by a driver and a companion and irregular markings" are dangerous (18 Apr. 2001). The report adds that "criminals sometimes use the drug 'scopolamine' to incapacitate tourists in order to rob them," and cites that one way this happens is "through cigarettes and gum (in taxis)" (ibid.).

The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) reports in its most recent "Travel Report" on Colombia the following:

Public transportation is not a safe alternative; buses and, to a lesser extent, taxis are frequent targets for criminals. Taxis should not be hailed on the street but should be booked through hotels. There are now authorized and controlled taxi centres where one can safely get a taxi.

...Radio taxis are recommended, rather than those hailed on the street, as radio taxis are under some form of control through the telephone dispatch system, thereby reducing the degree of security risk. If you have to hail a taxi on the street, take care: avoid cabs without licence plates and do not enter a cab if it is already occupied by anyone but the driver. Many taxi drivers are armed (1 Mar. 2002).

A group of insurance companies based in the United States provides in its Threat Assessments report on Colombia the following:

Taking taxis off the street in Colombia is dangerous, especially considering the significant rise of documented taxi crimes in 2000. Many "gypsy" cabs operate in the city and these are the worst of the lot. A common tactic for criminals is to wait until an individual hails a taxi, and then forcefully enter the taxi behind the passenger. With the aid of the taxi driver, the victim is driven around for a short period while the robber removes all valuables. It is better to arrange transportation to and from the airport through a business associate in Bogotá or, better yet, arrange to be met by an acquaintance. When departing the hotel, tell the doorman where you want to go and allow him to hail a taxi. Normally, the hotel staff will ensure you board a legal taxi and they will record the cab number, time of departure, and destination (Kemper Insurance Co. 12 Nov. 2001).

Only two recent reports referring to taxi drivers as victims of crime were found among the sources consulted within the constraints of this Response: one report states that kidnappers have targeted both rich and poor, with their victims including "taxi drivers, students, housewives and workers who earn less than double the minimum wage" (SAC 11 Dec. 2001). Another report states that on 16 November 2001 "FARC [Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia] units at an illegal checkpoint at Santuario, Putumayo department executed an unarmed soldier from the 12th Brigade and a taxi driver" (Country Reports 2001 4 Mar. 2002, Sec. 1a).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

BBC News, London. 22 February 2001. Jeremy McDermott. "Colombia's Petrol Scam." http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/from_our_own_correspondent/newsid_1184000/1184631.stm [Accessed 22 Apr. 2002]

Bolivia Hoy [La Paz]. July 2000. "Ecuador Braces For Colombia's War." http://www.boliviahoy.com/drg/00-07/ (Google) [Accessed 23 Apr. 2002]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001. 4 March 2002. "COlombia." Washington, DC: US Department of State. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/wha/8326.htm [Accessed 19 Apr. 2002]

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), Ottawa. 1 March 2002. "Travel Report: Colombia." http://www.voyage.gc.ca/destinations/report_e.asp?country=Colombia [Accessed 22 Apr. 2002]

Human Rights Watch (HRW), New York. September 2001. The "Sixth Division": Military-Paramilitary Ties and U.S. Policy in Colombia. http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/colombia/2.4.htm [Accessed 23 Apr. 2002]

Kemper Insurance Co., Long Grove, Illinois. 12 November 2001. Threat Assessments. "Colombia." http://www.kemperinsurance.com/busi/crime/ crime_colombia.html [Accessed 22 Apr. 2002]

The Miami Herald. 13 May 2001. Juan O. Tamayo. "Daili Life in Colombia a Bizarre Existence." (NEXIS)

Summit of the Americas Center (SAC), Miami. 11 December 2001. Martha Pinzon. "Kidnapping on the Rise in Latin America." http://www.americasnet.net/Commentators/Martha_Pinzon/kidnapping_eng.htm (Google) [Accessed 22 Apr. 2002]

United States Department of State, Washington, DC. 18 April 2001. "Consular Information Sheet: Colombia." http://travel.state.gov/colombia.html [Accessed 23 Apr. 2002]