Transit Authority Issues 54 Operating Certificates in Veraguas and Unveils Modernisation Plan
SANTIAGO, August 14, 2026 – The Land Transit and Transport Authority, ATTT, led by director general Nicolas Brea, handed 54 operating certificates to transport operators in Veraguas who had for years provided service under temporary permits subject to quarterly renewal, Metro Libre reported.
The process included a national census and validation of files to verify records, routes and service history. In some cases drivers had accumulated up to 28 years of uninterrupted service.
Brea said the handover went beyond the formality of a document and represented an act of social justice and job stability for families who had served their communities in uncertainty for close to three decades.
Officials then met leaders of the National Transport Chamber, Canatra, where the pillars of a new modernisation plan were presented under the slogan “Mover Panama con menos friccion”.
The central objective is to give time back to transport operators, moving from a model of in-person visits, paperwork and manual validations to a connected digital ecosystem available around the clock that also benefits users.
Brea told the Canatra leadership that modernising means simplifying what currently costs people time and money, and that every hour a driver spends queuing or waiting for a stamp is an hour of lost productivity.
The director said the transformation will be carried out gradually in stages, with pilots, training and continuous technical support in direct coordination with the sector.
Why it matters
Operating certificates decide whether long-serving drivers can work with legal certainty, and the digital shift affects every licensed operator in the country.
What happens next
ATTT says the modernisation will roll out in stages with pilots and training coordinated with the transport sector.
