Various sources refer to the co-operative transportation company CUTCSA as the largest operator of urban transportation buses in Montevideo and Uruguay (see for example URY16077.E 17 Feb. 1994; Research Results Digest Apr. 1999). No report indicating that its union (Union de Trabajadores de CUTCSA, UTC) encompasses taxi drivers or employees from other companies could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

A February 2001 report on transport workers' protests following the robbery and injury of a taxi driver refers to the taxi drivers' union as being affiliated to the Union de Trabajadores del Transporte (UNOTT), with which UTC is affiliated (see URY16078.E of 18 Feb. 1994). Another report refers to the taxi drivers' union (gremio del taxi) and CUTCSA workers as two separate groups, although joined in rotating strikes along with other transportation groups to protest the latest assault on a taxi driver (ibid. 22 Feb. 2001b).

One report mentions the Centre of Owners of Metered Taxis of Uruguay (Centro de Propietarios de Automóviles con Taxímetro del Uruguay), headed or managed by Manuel Gervaz, and states that Montevideo has 3,070 metered taxis (El País 29 Nov. 2000).

A current listing of the largest taxi companies of Montevideo names the following companies: Celeritas, Coprata, Fono Taxi, La Española Radio Taxi, Radio Taxi Colon, Radio Taxi Cooperativo, Radio Taxi Punta Gorda y Capital, Radio Taxi S.C.O.T., and Teletaxi (Red Uruguaya 2001).

The only references to a taxi union in Montevideo refer to it as the Sindicato Unico de Automóviles con Taxímetros y Telefonistas (Single Union of Vehicles with Taxi Metres and Phones, SUATT) (El País 24 Sept. 2000; El Observador 20 Nov. 2000; Taxi Hispano 3 Nov. 2000; Union Cívica 17 Mar. 2000).

In 1997 the former Secretary General of the union, also a substitute city councillor for the Communist Party, was expelled from the union due to his "irregular activities" (El Espectador 23 Dec. 1997). A 1998 report refers to Norberto Vergara as the president of the taxi union (Canal 10 16 Jan. 1998), while another refers to him as a leader of the union (dirigente del gremio) (ibid. 20 Jan. 1998). A 2000 report names Walter Elviro as a leader (dirigente) of SUATT (El Pais 24 Sept. 2000).

A more recent report refers to Gustavo Lopez as one of the taxi union leaders (El Espectador 22 Feb. 2001a), while another refers to him as the Organization Secretary (Secretario de Organización) (El Observador 23 Feb. 2001).

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.

Canal 10 [Montevideo]. 20 January 1998. "Taximetristas levantan restricciones." http://www.canal10.com.uy/canal10/noticias/ene98/20/ [Accessed 26 Apr. 2001]

_____. 16 January 1998. "Continúa el paro de taximetristas." http://www.canal10.com.uy/canal10/noticias/ene98/16/ [Accessed 25 Apr. 2001]

_____. 4 November 1997. "Partido Nacional interviene en expulsión de gremialista." http://www.canal10.com.uy/canal10/noticias/nov97/04/ [Accessed 25 Apr. 2001]

El Espectador [Montevideo]. 22 February 2001a. "Continúa paro en CUTCSA." http://www.espectador.com/ text/not02223.htm [Accessed 25 Feb. 2001]

_____. 22 February 2001b. ""Paros en el transporte." http://www.espectador.com/text/not02221.htm [Accessed 25 Feb. 2001]

_____. 19 February 2001. "La violencia en los ómnibus sigue en el tapete." http://www.espectador.com/text/ind02192.htm [Accessed 25 Apr. 2001]

_____. 23 December 1997. Emiliano Cotelo. "Ese loco vértigo uruguayo de fin de año." http://www.espectador.com/text/pdv12231.htm [Accessed 25 Apr. 2001]

El Observador [Montevideo]. 23 February 2001. "Rapiña a taxista paralizó el transporte." http://www.observa.com.uy/elobservador/ED010223/URU/N00800.html [Accessed 26 Apr. 2001]

_____. 20 November 2000. "Taxista baleado está fuera de peligro." http://www.observa.com.uy/elobservador/ED001120/URU/N00500.html [Accessed 26 Apr. 2001]

El País [Montevideo]. 29 November 2000. "Ofensiva para apuntar gas natural al transporte." http://www.diarioelpais.com/suplementos/lo_mejor_de_la_semana_00_11_29/15.shtml [Accessed 25 Apr. 2001]

_____. 24 September 2000. "El horario del miedo." http://www.diarioelpais.com/suplementos/lo_mejor_de_la_semana000924/19.shtml [Accessed 26 Apr. 2001]

Red Uruguaya [Montevideo]. 2001. "Taximetros." http://www.reduruguaya.com/informacion/taxis.htm [Accessed 25 Apr. 2001]

Research Results Digest [Washington, DC]. April 1999. No. 33. "Private Urban Transit Systems and Low-Cost Mobility Solutions in Major Latin American Cities." http://www.apta.com/intnatl/intstudy/rrd33.htm [Accessed 24 Apr. 2001]

Taxi Hispano [Madrid]. 3 Nov. 2000. "Asociaciones y Sindicatos de taxis en Uruguay." http://www.taxihispano.com/uru.asoc.htm [Accessed 26 Apr. 2001]

Union Cívica (UC), Montevideo. 17 March 2000. "Lamorte con los taximetristas." http://www.unioncivica.com/17-03-00.htm [Accessed 26 Apr. 2001]