Taxi companies will be inspected for irregularities

The non-utilization of meters, non-posting of the charges, lack of special equipment and responsibility for the transported persons, non-performance of medical examinations are only some of the irregularities identified in the work of the Moldovan cab drivers. Specialists of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure and the Licensing Chamber held a joint meeting to discuss the given situation. Tudor Capatana, of the Traffic Police Department's PR Service, told Info-Prim Neo that the meeting decided that the yearly motor transport development strategy will contain clear rules concerning the work of taxi companies and that the State Tax Inspectorate and the Licensing Chamber will inspect them. There will be proposed amendments to the legislation so as to remove the irregularities in the area. At the same time, the administrations of the large towns will have to set up special parking places for taxis. A number of 144 economic entities that own 3,623 vehicles provide taxi services in Moldova at present. Fifty-six of these companies work in Chisinau, but only 26 convey passengers with 1,800 units of transport. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the taxi drivers in 2009 committed 8,059 violations of the legislation, including 646 cases of speeding, 588 cases of irregularities in documents, 302 cases of ignoring the traffic lights, 81 cases of driving under the influence. The drivers were blamed for 222 minor road accidents and 88 serious road accidents that resulted in 13 deaths and 129 persons injured. The Chisinau cab drivers had been involved in 67 serious accidents in which nine persons were killed and 99 injured. The inspections carried out last year showed 528 of the 3,115 taxi drivers have work experience of less than three years, while 20 of them – of less than one year. 835 drivers have a license of category B only.