The Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) confirmed that the withdrawal of the five-colón coin, scheduled by the Central Bank for next July 1, will have a direct impact on the fare scheme of public transportation in Costa Rica.

Given the impossibility of using the ₡5 denomination as legal tender as of that date, ARESEP will carry out an extraordinary adjustment in nearly 5,000 current fares across the country’s 416 routes. The change will be applied under the following premises for cash payments:

Rounding down: Fares ending in amounts lower than ₡5 will be adjusted to the previous ten (example: ₡484 will become ₡480).

Rounding up: Fares higher than ₡5 will be adjusted to the next ten (example: ₡486 will rise to ₡490).

Authorities warned that the use of cash will present greater logistical complications for drivers and users due to the difficulty of providing exact change. As an alternative, ARESEP will maintain differentiated fares for electronic payment, allowing those who use this method to pay the exact amount without the need for rounding.

Currently, the bus system transports more than 918 thousand people daily. The final impact for each route will be detailed once the corresponding fare study is completed, which will define which fares will increase, decrease, or remain unchanged.