Huge taxi demonstration in Budapest, price increase is coming!

Taxi drivers protested for the second time in Budapest, in front of the Mayor’s Office building. They want the centrally regulated base price to rise – the last price change happened in 2017.

The taxi drivers were invited for a consultation

After the first demonstration by the drivers, a petition containing their demands was handed over to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Mayor’s Office on 2 February, as part of the demonstration.
Although there were several legal interpretation disputes between the capital of Budapest and the taxi organisations, shortly after the last demonstration, the taxi drivers were invited to a consultation scheduled for 1 March at the Mayor’s Office, writes turizmus.com.

40 per cent more expensive fuel

Based on the requests of taxi drivers, the current HUF 700 (EUR 2) starting fee should be increased to HUF 1,000 (EUR 2.8), the current HUF 300 (EUR 0.85) kilometer fee to HUF 500 (EUR 1.4), and the minute fee from HUF 75 (EUR 0.2) to HUF 100 (EUR 0.3). Since the last price change in 2017, general service prices have risen 15 per cent and fuel is 40 per cent more expensive. In addition, since then the average price of cars suitable for taxi services has risen by approximately HUF 2 million (EUR 5600), and the pandemic has also caused significant losses to the drivers.

Read also: Is there a gasoline crisis coming in Hungary?

The mayor of Budapest announced on Facebook that taxi fares will increase in Budapest

Gergely Karácsony, the mayor of Budapest, also spoke about the issue, informing his readers on his Facebook page that the drivers were protesting under his window again. He agreed to settle all matters at a negotiating table with them.

“In fact, inflation is staggering, which the government is apparently unable to stop. At the same time, it is also a fact that in 2020, the Metropolitan Municipality gave a 70 per cent discount on taxi rosters, which means a loss of hundreds of millions in revenue for us. Furthermore, we have been in negotiation with the official representatives of the taxi organisations for months about a possible increase, just until recently, we faced a serious challenge which enabled local governments to raise any fees due to government legislations”, writes the mayor of Budapest according to blikk.hu.

“However, the night before the taxi demonstration, the situation has suddenly changed and the government now allows taxi fares to be raised. I, therefore, suggest that we continue negotiations with the official taxi organisations and agree on a fair increase, which we will introduce before the Metropolitan Assembly. If there is a full professional and political consensus, we can decide on the legitimate needs of the drivers.”

– ends Karácsony his Facebook post.