Member Article

The circular makes provision for the following services:

1. The public service of land transport of cargo.

The exceptions referred to in Decree 457 do not specify a type of vehicle, but rather limit the cargo transport service to that which corresponds to the goods strictly necessary to prevent, mitigate and attend to the emergency and which are listed in Article 3 of the same Decree, as well as the cargo transport of imports and exports.

2. Collective land transport service for passengers (metropolitan, district and municipal), mixed and special.

Decree No. 457 provides that public land transport services must be guaranteed in the national territory for persons carrying out the activities permitted under article 3.

Decree 482 of 2020, did not establish limitations on the modalities for the transport of persons exempted under article 3 of Decree 457, therefore, the transport service must continue to be provided in the modalities of passenger groups (metropolitan, district, municipal), mixed and special.

3. Mass public passenger transport service

Decree 482 of 2020, establishes that during the state of emergency and mandatory preventive isolation, the authorized offer cannot, in any case, exceed fifty percent (50%) of the maximum offer in each system according to the mobility analysis of each municipal, district or metropolitan authority.

4. Public service of individual land transport of passengers in taxi type vehicles

Decree 482 of 2020 establishes that, during the state of emergency and the mandatory preventive isolation, it is allowed to operate the public service of individual passenger transport of the taxi type that is offered by telephone or through technological platforms authorized by the Ministry of Transport to transport people who are exempted under Article 3 of Decree 457 of 2020. The service must be provided in strict compliance with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection regarding the conditions for preventing contamination and implementing biosecurity measures.

5. Public service of land transport of passengers

Article 4 of Decree 457 of 2020 states that transport must be guaranteed to persons carrying out the activities of Article 3 of the same Decree.

Article 4 of Decree 482 of 2020 establishes that during the state of emergency and mandatory preventive isolation, public passenger transport by land is allowed only for access or the provision of health services and to persons who require mobilization and are authorized under the terms of Decree 457 of 2020.

For each authorized route, operations are reduced to 50% of the authorized transport capacity, without prejudice to the possibility of modifying this percentage. 50% is understood to be the maximum permitted to offer, so that they may operate at a lower percentage, which does not result in the sanction for cancellation of the route.

The land transport terminals must continue to provide their services, considering the authorized operations offer or guaranteeing the attention to the public in a non-face-to-face way either by telephone or e-mail.

6. Fluvial transport

Article 4 of Decree 457 of 2020 establishes that the fluvial transport service in the national territory must be guaranteed as strictly necessary to prevent, mitigate and attend to the health emergency caused by the Coronavirus COVID-19 and for the transport of people and goods exempted in Article 3 of the same Decree.

See full text ofEXTERNAL CIRCULAR NO. 202010125131