Bill for taxis moves up gear
In a bid to placate taxi owners who fear their permits which until recently traded for tens of thousands of euros will soon be worthless, the government is planning to limit how many new licenses can be issued for the next six months and will allow cabbies? children to apply for free.
Transport Minister Yiannis Ragousis briefed the Cabinet Wednesday on the draft law to liberalize the taxi sector, hoping it would not lead to cabbies going on strike again but they said they would walk off the job Friday.
The bill foresees a six-month limit on new licenses when the number of permits will only increase by 10 percent. After that, anybody paying the 5,000-euro application fee will be able to obtain a permit. Licenses for motorcycle taxis will cost 2,000 euros. The children of current license holders will not pay a fee regardless of when they apply for a permit. Companies will need to get approval from the Competition Commission if they apply for more than 10 licenses. As for passengers, the bill foresees a 20 percent cut in cab charges.
