Prime Minister Pavel Filip instructed the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Finance within a week to present proposals for appropriately regulating taxi services, including by reviewing the regulatory framework. The request was made following the unjustified rise in taxi fares during the snowfalls of April 20 and 21, IPN reports.

According to the Government’s press service, the Premier said the taxi drivers at the Chisinau International Airport charged 300 to 500 lei during the tempest of April 20 and 21 and the people who didn’t have such money got stuck in the airport.

“The illegal passenger and freight transportation reached alarming propositions and represents a problem both in terms of road safety, as the technical state of cabs is not known, and as regards the money that fail to be collected into the state budget owing to illegal activity,” said Pavel Filip.

He also referred to the necessity of strictly applying the legal provisions concerning the licensing/authorization of business entities operating in the field, of using cash registers and of examining the cabs and their drivers before these start work so as to ensure the security of people and loyal competition in this area of activity.