Taxi associations will have to clearly display their taxi driver's identification so that users of their services know who drives them and whether they have permission to operate the vehicle. In addition, the driver's duty will be to have special working clothes.
These novelties are envisaged by the amendments to the Law on Road Transport and are introduced to eliminate unfair competition and suppress the gray economy in this sector. Amendments to the law were discussed at the last session of the Government's Competitiveness Council in early July.
In the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Transport, it was said that new legal solutions were prepared after taxi operators demanded the removal of the gray economy and unfair competition.
"The Montenegrin Trade Union - Union of Free Trade Unions of Montenegro addressed the Prime Minister Dusko Markovic, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policy and Financial System Milutin Simovic, with the request to form working groups that will have the task of analyzing the problems in performing car taxi transport. After that, Osman Nurkovic, Minister of Transport, formed a working group composed of representatives of state authorities whose responsibilities relate to the activities of passenger car taxis and representatives of the Trade Union who prepared the Information on the analysis of the situation in the activity of the taxi transportation with proposals of measures and conclusions for solving the problem. The Government adopted this information at the end of December last year, and one of the proposed measures is drafting of amendments to the Law on Road Transport in order to eliminate unfair competition that is predominantly present in car taxis, but also in other forms of public passenger transport," it was explained from the Ministry.
The working group consisted of representatives of the Ministry, the Chamber of Commerce and car taxi companies who perform this activity as entrepreneurs and legal entities, and the draft law was announced at a public hearing on February 15th.
"The most important amendments are related to specifying the documentation that must be placed in the vehicle when performing a car taxi service.
Special attention is paid to documentation proving that the driver is employed and registered with the car taxi company (employment contract, tax registration), as well as the obligatory possession of driver's identification card, which must be displayed in a visible place in the vehicle so that transport users know who drives them and whether someone has permission to drive the taxi. In addition, a legal basis for prescribing work clothes for drivers is defined to avoid situations that certain car taxis companies are distorting reputation for their colleagues and Montenegro as a recognized tourist destination," the Ministry said.
The taxi identification card, according to the amendment proposal, must contain a driver's license for driving the vehicle, a certificate of medical capability, and passed exam on knowing around the city.
A novelty is also "rent a car" with the driver
The novelty in the law will be the introduction of the "rent a car" service with the driver. Such a mode of transport can only be carried out by a high-class passenger car or a luxury passenger vehicle under six years old, with a catalog value of more than 30,000 euros.
"We have identified a new mode of transport and defined the conditions under which it can be carried out, which is to rent a vehicle with a driver - a limo service. This mode of transport was recognized by the Law on Tourism, but it was not properly regulated and it represented largely unfair competition for car taxis and for companies operating long-distance regular and non-scheduled passenger services," the Ministry said.
The "rent a car" driver will have to be at least 21 years old and must have a driving license of category B for at least three years.
Dispatch centers are introduced into legal procedures
New solutions also define the dispatching centers that mediate in contracting car taxis and stipulate the conditions under which they perform the activity.
The Ministry explained that this was done in order to protect themselves from illegal entities that even at the global level were recognized as unfair competition and operating in the gray zone without the possibility of supervision.
"This phenomenon has not been largely identified in Montenegro, but we felt it necessary to prevent such deviant phenomena."
The dispatch center will have to have a work permit from the municipality on whose territory it operates, it will be obliged to provide services only to licensed car taxis and to allocate the driving only to vehicles with a valid copy of the license.
Text by Marija Mirjacic, on July 21st, 2019, read more at Vijesti
