Taxi drivers, members of the National Association of Employers of Taxi Operators (ANPOTRT), are protesting on Monday in Constitution Square, demanding an urgent change to the law on alternative transport. Taxi fares rose by 4.2% last year, after drivers charged passengers more than 15% more in 2022 compared to the previous year, Statistics shows. In general, over the past two years, “taxi inflation” amounted to 20%.

Last week, I paid about 100 lei for a trip to Bercheny-Krangashi and back. That’s right, during rush hour.

Taxi drivers want to urgently change the law on alternative transport. The aim of the campaign is to draw the attention of the Romanian government to the numerous requests submitted in the last seven months in an attempt to change Law 204/2019 (OG49/2019), which regulates alternative transport.

In New York late last year, metered taxi fares rose to $3 from $2.50, and surcharges rose to $2.50 from $1 during rush hours. The overnight fare increased to $1 from 50 cents, and the flat rate to JFK International Airport increased to $70 from $52.

This led to the fact that the average taxi ride in New York cost $19.62 against $15.97, writes Bloomberg.

The main requirements of Romanian taxi drivers are aimed at:

• restricting compatible children based on criteria similar to those applied to taxi services, in order to protect the quality of life and air, congestion and pollution in large cities, and to ensure economic predictability in this market segment;

• canceling the possibility of issuing a certified copy for cars owned by operators under a loan or lease agreement, as well as raising the authorization threshold for the age of the car to 5 years for the first authorization, to a maximum of 10 years;

• prohibition of pasting or application of local regulations regarding advertising on cars parked in digital lots and applying operator identification badges to rear doors;

• abolition of the “dynamic tariff” in accordance with the recommendations of the Competition Council on fraud;

• compliance with Article 6 of Law 204/2019 on the taxation of trips and commissions through a fiscal institution registered with the ONRC, with the suspension of technical approval until it becomes legal.

“We note from the very beginning that this protest is not organized to put pressure on the decision-making factors, we have confidence and arguments that our proposals to amend the legislation, in this case OG49/2019 (Law 204/2019), materialize in emergency situation for its change. The government is obliged to ensure a fair competitive climate for all players in the same market with the help of the applied policy. It is obvious that OG49/2019 needs adjustments precisely to ensure this aspect. Considering these aspects, we ask the Prime Minister, Mr. Marcel Čolaka, for an emergency meeting, as he has publicly declared his readiness,” ANPOTRT representatives said.

The cited source clarifies that the Bucharest City Hall has issued a protocol on the organization and holding of a public meeting on February 26, 27 and 28, 2024, according to which the protest action will take place on Piaţa Constituției, a public parking lot, from St. participant arrivals from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., involving a maximum of 800 registered TAXI vehicles.

On the 27th and 28th, a protest was approved at the same location, involving a maximum of 1,800 vehicles with TAXI registrations.