The first draft of the taxi plan was presented on Tuesday afternoon to the advisory council of the sector and resumes the major principles of reform, upon which the Brussels government agreed before the Easter holidays, to mandate the Minister of Transport, Pascal Smet (sp.a), for the consultation of the sector, said the cabinet of the minister on Wednesday evening. He referred to the "four major changes" that are emerging in the framework of a preliminary draft order that is expected to be tabled next May.
"The new framework focuses on more choice and safety for the customer and a strengthening of the driver's position with regard to taxi operators and booking platform operators. Booking platforms will not be allowed to be active in Brussels unless they have licensed drivers, fulfill all the conditions of transparency and respect the rights of drivers", Mr Smet said in a statement.
According to him, nobody will be allowed to provide paid transport of people without a license, but everyone will have to drive according to the same rules and conditions in terms of training, vehicles, tariffs, insurance, etc. In the future, every driver will have to have a personal license which is non-cumulative and non-transferable. However, the number of licenses will remain limited to prevent the city from being overwhelmed with new vehicles and to ensure a full income for drivers.
Reservation platforms will now only be allowed to work with licensed drivers and will have to maintain up-to-date records of all drivers and affiliated vehicles, as well as journeys made.
The determination of tariffs will be more flexible. For the street market (journeys to taxi ranks and stopping a taxi on the street), a fixed rate will apply as is the case at the present time. For pre-booked trips, a more flexible tariff will be charged.
The Brussels Times
