Electric Taxi Deployment Pilot, Costa Rica
Cities Forum accompanied Costa Rican taxi operators and mobility authorities in the design and launch of a pilot programme for the electrification of taxi fleets.
Year: 2022–2023 | Client: National taxi federation and mobility authorities | Country: Costa Rica
Cities Forum accompanied Costa Rican taxi operators and mobility authorities in the design and launch of a pilot programme for the electrification of taxi fleets. Costa Rica, with its overwhelmingly renewable electricity matrix and its ambition to become a global reference in transport decarbonisation, offered near-ideal conditions for electric mobility, yet taxi drivers, often self-employed and financially exposed, needed hard evidence that the switch could work operationally and commercially before committing. The pilot was built to provide that evidence.
Our approach
Structured in three phases covering market research, technology assessment and operational readiness, the assignment produced a comprehensive evaluation of available electric-vehicle models, charging technologies and after-sales services, and benchmarked total cost of ownership against conventional taxis over realistic duty cycles. Cities Forum analysed the regulatory frameworks governing taxi licences, tariffs and vehicle renewal, and engaged drivers directly through surveys and focus groups alongside structured dialogues with manufacturers, financial institutions and government agencies. This dual attention to technical feasibility and human reality was central: the barriers to taxi electrification are as much about financing, confidence and daily operating patterns as about the vehicles themselves.
What we delivered
Deliverables included a market study, a business-model canvas tailored to taxi operators, with purchase, rental and battery-as-a-service options, a driver-training curriculum, operational protocols for charging and maintenance, and a financial package combining public incentives with blended finance. The team also developed monitoring indicators, communication materials and a scaling roadmap for national replication, so that lessons from the pilot could inform policy and be extended beyond the initial cohort.
Impact
The pilot demonstrated the viability of electric taxis under Costa Rican operating conditions, informed subsequent policy decisions, and provided a transferable blueprint for other Central American countries seeking to electrify commercial mobility in step with their energy-transition commitments. By pairing rigorous techno-economic analysis with genuine operator engagement and a clear financing path, Cities Forum helped move electric taxis from aspiration to a tested, bankable proposition, reinforcing the firm's track record in translating national decarbonisation ambitions into concrete, deployable mobility solutions on the ground.
