The Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications signed the Ordinance amending Ordinance № 34 on Taxi Transport of Passengers. The Ordinance was sent for publication in the State Gazette, and the changes are the result of lengthy discussions with branch organizations.
Some of the main changes stem from the latest amendments to the Road Transport Act and are related to the transition to the municipalities of the registration regime for taxi transport of passengers.
Another significant part of the amendments is related to the change in the method of determining the initial fee. It is envisaged that the initial price will be from double to triple the amount of the minimum price for one kilometer of mileage at the respective tariff in a settlement. Determining a double to triple amount from the minimum price per kilometer will limit unfair competition in the taxi sector.
Pursuant to the Road Transport Act (Art. 5, para. 2), the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications has an obligation to determine the manner in which carriers are obliged to announce to their customers the prices and conditions for transport.
The Road Transport Act (Art. 24a, para. 11) imposes an obligation on the Municipal Councils to determine by October 31 minimum and maximum prices for taxi transport of passengers per kilometer for the next year. In case the Municipal Council does not determine minimum and maximum prices, the prices as of December 31 of the previous year shall apply. Prior to the amendments, the Ordinance stipulated that the initial fee could not exceed the price per kilometer of mileage at the respective tariff in a settlement by more than 50%.
When adopting the new texts in the Ordinance, the decision of the Commission for Protection of Competition was carefully examined. Proceedings before the Commission for Protection of Competition are proceedings for competition advocacy, the main purpose of which is to prevent the restriction or distortion of competition. With the introduction of a lower and upper limit of the initial price, distortion of competition is prevented.