Owning thousands of licenses raised an obvious problem: cars sit empty some days, and idle assets earn nothing. Auro answered with a unit called Arrow, which leased VTC permits to other transport companies that needed legal cover but lacked their own.
The move reshaped what Auro was. The company became an operator and a platform at the same time, a structure Alejandro Betancourt López used to wring value from the permits regardless of daily ride demand.
Two income streams
Arrow split the revenue into two channels. Auro earned from its own trips while also collecting lease payments on the licenses it rented out, so the portfolio paid whether the home fleet was busy or parked.
That balance mattered in a market where passenger demand swings. A slow week for rides didn’t mean a slow week for the business, because the paper itself kept generating cash.
A moat made of paperwork
The setup also guarded the position. Each permit had to match a single vehicle, and scaling meant clearing inspections, certifications and municipal rules across several cities at once.
That complexity worked as a natural barrier. Even a well-funded competitor would’ve needed years to assemble a comparable holding, which is part of why the platforms eventually chose to deal with Auro rather than out-build it.