How Does the “Pico y Placa” System Work for Cars, Taxis, Trucks and Other Vehicles in Colombia?

Anyone who has ever been to a major city in the country is aware that traffic congestion and air quality are huge problems. That’s why pico y placa in Colombia was born. Local governments created this to better manage the cars allowed on the road to better manage issues related to car density. If you want to work as an independent driver, this is something that you should know about. A deep understanding of the traffic rules in Colombia can help you better decide when you’re going to be on the road.

Pico y Placa in Colombia is a system that restricts access of certain cars to urban areas based on the last digit of your plate number. Let’s say that the last digit of your plate is 6. For times and days when plates ending in that number are not allowed, you legally can’t enter the area. And since motorcycle plates end in letters, the basis is the first number instead.

The country doesn’t have a uniform system for determining which plates are not allowed. For example, Bogota restricts two plate number endings per day. Others use one per day during weekdays, while Manizales uses a combination of both.

When first introduced in Bogota in 1998, the system was simpler. Pico y Placa for cars meant that only private vehicles faced any type of restriction. But since then, the regulation has evolved. The rule was extended to other vehicle types as well. This includes the following:

• Taxis. When it applies, a taxi is subject to longer restricted hours, usually lasting from 10 to 14 hours.
• Trucks. Some cities in Colombia, such as Medellin, don’t apply the restrictions to trucks anymore. Meanwhile, there are cities like Cali where trucks above 5 tons are automatically exempted.
• Motorcycles. Since motorcycles take up less space on the road, not all cities include them in the system.

Generally, electric vehicles and hybrids are exempted from this rule. As an independent driver, the rules surrounding private cars will most likely apply to you.