Two third of taxi drivers fail the verification tests in Budapest

According to vg.hu, two third of the taxi drivers in Budapest are violating the law. For the sake of tourists, BKK and other authorities are taking preventive measures in the form of regular control.

Even though it’s not even the high season of tourism, the number of law violations among taxi drivers is already 654 in 2017. BKK is checking taxi drivers 250-300 times a month, which means that two third of the drivers are found guilty of wrongdoing. The problems are not new: many are not turning off the taximeter, others “forget” about the receipt. Other cases involved not having a permit for operating a cab in the capital, or not having a taxi driving license.

Some other drivers committed crimes by violating the personal rights of passengers, but inspectors found individuals guilty of fraud as well. In several cases there was no possibility to pay with credit card.

BKK told vg.hu that the efficiency of the inspections has improved, thanks to the fact that the inspectors are working together with the National Tax and Customs Administration, the Budapest Police Station, and the Municipal Law Enforcement of Budapest regularly. The number of violations grows when tourism is at its peak: last May there were 205 infractions out of 298 cases. Most of the passenger complaints are because of deceits. Since this year’s tourism season coincides with the water sports’ world championship, BKK and other authorities are planning on carrying out more inspections than usual.

However, the law provides very few possibilities for the inspecting authorities to sanction anyone. BKK can inspect taxi drivers, but cannot make any dispositions, thus it cannot fine. They always report back to the respective authorities, which can proceed further. If the operational license is missing, then the National Transport Authority is alerted, if overpricing is the problem, then the police and the Consumer Protection, and if the passenger does not get any receipts, then the National Tax and Customs Administration.

featured photo: dunataxi.hu

Ce: bm

Source: vg.hu