San Jose (The Costa Rica Star) and Mexico City (EFE), July 29.– Mexico City taxi drivers staged a protest on Wednesday against the recent approval of private transportation services offered via smartphone apps, while police are investigating attacks on Uber drivers in the past few hours.

In Costa Rica, the National Forum of taxicab drivers assembled in San Jose, where they drove up to the Embassy of Colombia and delivered a document that indicated their solidarity for their South American counterparts, who have strongly voiced their opposition to Uber and other informal transportation services.

In Mexico, dozens of taxis gathered in the centrally located Paseo de la Reforma to protest the decision two weeks ago by the Federal District to allow ride-sharing services like Uber and Cabify to operate, a move that made the Mexican capital the first government to give the green light to such companies in Latin America.

The new regulations will be overturned because they have “no legal basis,” Mexico City Organized Taxi Drivers Association spokesman Ignacio Rodriguez told EFE.

“There’s not a single article in the Mobility Law or in the current transportation regulations that establish a foundation for such an agreement,” Rodriguez said, adding that the association planned to take legal action against the new rules.

The protest took place in the wake of attacks on several Uber vehicles on Tuesday.

Individuals armed with sticks, pipes and stones damaged the windows, windshields, bodies and tires of several vehicles parked around the Mexico City International Airport.

The victims have filed complaints and “Uber is not saying that the taxi drivers’ organization had anything to do with it,” but that it was “an attack by residents” of the area, Federal District police chief Patricia Mercado told Radio Formula on Wednesday.

About 250 people attacked between seven and 12 vehicles, Mercado said, adding that police had not ruled out the possibility that some taxi drivers were involved.

No such attacks have been reported in Costa Rica, a country where Uber has yet to operate. In recent weeks however, Uber reported its intention of hiring a provisional country manager to explore the possibility of opening Costa Rica as new Latin American market. In some metropolitan areas in Brazil, Uber has also faced strong opposition.

A spokesman for the National Federation of Taxi Drivers mentioned that his organization will not allow a foreign corporation to “come and take away jobs from Costa Rican workers.” The spokesman also said that his group will also pressure the government so that no permit is ever issued to Uber or similar outfits.

On July 15, the Federal District’s government in Mexico approved a series of regulations that will take effect at the end of this month, opening the way for private transportation services operating via smartphone and Web-based apps to do business in the capital.

Drivers working for ride-sharing services must register with the Mexico City Transportation Secretariat, obtain a permit, undergo training, have insurance and pay 1.5 percent of each fare into the Taxi Fund. EFE