The city of Prague wants to warn foreign tourists against dishonest taxi drivers who started to appear around Pařížská and Dlouhá streets in December 2016.
“We’re aware of an organised group that are conducting dishonest business giving the city of Prague and all the honest taxi drivers a bad name. These dishonest taxi drivers are trying to rip off tourists coming to visit the city. These are the people this campaign is aiming at and I firmly believe that it will be a success!” states Adriana Krnáčová, the mayor of Prague.
The posters will remain in the streets till the middle of 2017, when the city will try to evaluate the campaign.
Prague is also fining drivers that are using popular mobile apps, without being equipped with proper taximeters and having the appropriate permits.
The city is trying to bring in more regulations through the new amendment to the road transportation act, like a mandatory foreign language exam. Even special separate taxi number plates were being considered.
Aside from harsher punishments for dishonest taxi drivers, the ministry of transportation is also planning to bring in punishments for dispatchers and other parties that are enabling these taxi drivers and taxi drivers without the mandatory permits. The fee for this offence can be as high as 500,000 CZK.
