Cabbies protest planned Transport Code reform

A number of taxi drivers on Tuesday gathered in downtown Helsinki to protest the government move to reform the Transport Code. The bill on the reform is scheduled to place before the parliament this week.

The agitating taxi drivers during the protest from 12.00 noon to 2.00pm said a new Transport Code could have far-reaching effects on cab policy and traffic.

The government in September 2016 presented a wide-scale reform proposal in the transport sector under a unified draft legislation whose main objective is to create conditions for the provision of customer-oriented transport services, digitalisation, new business models, and entrepreneurship.

Transport and Communication Minister Anne Berner presented the government’s reform plan related to passenger and freight transport.

At the centre of the reforms is the taxi industry, which will undergo substantial changes, if the proposed changes come to fruition.

Taxi operations will continue to require licensing; however, the quota set for taxis in operations and price regulations will be abandoned. Thus, in the future, taxi services may be carried by any operator who meets the conditions for obtaining permits as set by the law.

According to Berner, the Finnish Transport Safety Agency (Trafi) will confirm maximum taxi prices, if necessary. The taxi permit would be held by the company and, additionally, a driving licence would be required by each driver.

In the future, taxi operations will be defined by the principal location of operation. Operators will be required to notify their place of employment and on-call time. The taxi permit-holder should be established in the country. In addition, an operator must have sufficient language skills and be able to assist people with special needs.

The aim of the proposed changes in the taxi industry is to liberalise the regulations and to facilitate access to the taxi market and pave way for diversified businesses and new services. This in return would lead to increased employment in the sector and create more supply, especially in the rural areas.

Berner stressed that the transportation reforms proposal focuses on the idea of an open data interface. Berner said, in the future, operators in the sector would be able to choose their own prices, but the prices would be openly available in the interface, making it easier for customers and public bodies to compare and evaluate different service providers.

“We now have a genuine opportunity to improve transport services and create new businesses and jobs. All players have equal opportunities to develop their business. The progress of the transport code is great news not only for the transport sector but for the society as a whole,” said Berner in a statement that time.

The proposal which suggested taxi operations earning less than 10,000 euros be allowed to operate without licensing was, however, abandoned during the consultation round.