Traffic crawled along Wednesday morning – in some places it stood still – as private transportation companies tried to drive home a point about a bill before Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly.

Blocking key avenues into the city from Escazú, La Uruca, Heredia and Cartago and disrupting traffic in other parts of the country on Wednesday morning, private car service drivers, known as porteadores, protested a possible end to their business.

The law sitting in the Legislative Assembly would have given exclusive rights to licensed taxi drivers, eliminating the porteadores' ability to legally transport people. Not only would the law stop their services, but private ambulances, tourist transport and student vans also risked termination, said Víctor Salazar, who owns a private transportation company.

“Only public transport (such as red taxis) would have been permitted,” he said. “People didn't think this was very serious, but if it was passed, private ambulances wouldn't be able to do their work.”

Salazar, whose company Transportes San Jorge offers limousine pick-ups, food deliveries and van services, said that thanks to the demonstrations on Wednesday, legislators moved the issue from first place on the agenda to 120th, buying another four years.

“We are satisfied with the outcome today,” he said. “It was a success.”

Yet, not surprisingly, the demonstration got a thumbs down from legislators and government officials.

“It was unacceptable,” said Rodrigo Arias, minister of the presidency. “I hope it doesn't happen again. The solution is not in the streets. The solution is conversation with legislators.”