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TAXI DRIVERS PROTEST NEW LAW WITH INCREASED COSTS: TRANSPORT MINISTER ADAMANT TO NOT AMEND THE LAW
02.05.2015 17:26 epress.am
Today, a group of individual taxi drivers (not employed by companies)
gathered in front of the government building protesting a new law
that came into effect on February 1, which states that individual
taxi drivers have to receive a special license and pay 12,000 AMD
($25) a month to the state budget.
The taxi drivers claim that the special license will cost close to
50,000 AMD ($105) to obtain, because they have to present proof of
installation for their gas system (gas balloon), taxi identification,
advertisement (which needs to include the driver's number and tariff),
and the vehicle must have a taximeter.
The Minister of Transportation and Communications Gagik Beglaryan
approached the protesters and said that he can not delay the law
anymore, because it had to come into effect two years ago, but it
had been delayed already.
The drivers, however, say that many things have changed during the
past two years and that 12,000 AMD is impossible to pay. During
the past two years, delineated parking spots (red lines) have been
added (which cost money), mandatory insurance, cameras photographing
violations fixed across the city, increased prices of spare car parts,
increased gas prices, and that there are simply less people to take
taxis. According to the new law, drivers without a special license will
be fined 50,000 AMD, driving without a meter or taxi identification,
they will be fined 25,000 ($52) or 10,000 ($21) accordingly.
According to the taxi drivers, they asked the Minister to drop the
12,000 AMD monthly payment to 5,000 AMD, however Gagik Beglaryan
said that the law would function the way it is written. The Minister
promised that first time offenders of the law would not be fined,
but warned.
http://www.epress.am/en/2015/02/05/taxi-drivers-protest-new-law-with-increased-costs-transport-minister-adamant-to-not-amend-the-law.html
02.05.2015 17:26 epress.am
Today, a group of individual taxi drivers (not employed by companies)
gathered in front of the government building protesting a new law
that came into effect on February 1, which states that individual
taxi drivers have to receive a special license and pay 12,000 AMD
($25) a month to the state budget.
The taxi drivers claim that the special license will cost close to
50,000 AMD ($105) to obtain, because they have to present proof of
installation for their gas system (gas balloon), taxi identification,
advertisement (which needs to include the driver's number and tariff),
and the vehicle must have a taximeter.
The Minister of Transportation and Communications Gagik Beglaryan
approached the protesters and said that he can not delay the law
anymore, because it had to come into effect two years ago, but it
had been delayed already.
The drivers, however, say that many things have changed during the
past two years and that 12,000 AMD is impossible to pay. During
the past two years, delineated parking spots (red lines) have been
added (which cost money), mandatory insurance, cameras photographing
violations fixed across the city, increased prices of spare car parts,
increased gas prices, and that there are simply less people to take
taxis. According to the new law, drivers without a special license will
be fined 50,000 AMD, driving without a meter or taxi identification,
they will be fined 25,000 ($52) or 10,000 ($21) accordingly.
According to the taxi drivers, they asked the Minister to drop the
12,000 AMD monthly payment to 5,000 AMD, however Gagik Beglaryan
said that the law would function the way it is written. The Minister
promised that first time offenders of the law would not be fined,
but warned.
http://www.epress.am/en/2015/02/05/taxi-drivers-protest-new-law-with-increased-costs-transport-minister-adamant-to-not-amend-the-law.html