Brussels taxi drivers staged a protest on Friday, saying a decade of political inaction and competition from multinationals such as Uber is squeezing their livelihoods.
About 30 taxis took part in the action, according to Jean-Paul Mbenti of the Association Belge des Chauffeurs Limousine, who said regular taxi drivers had been waiting for a politically backed solution for nearly 10 years.
Mbenti said drivers were still facing mounting difficulties, including rising fuel prices, tax pressure and what he described as unfair competition from multinational platforms. He argued that the current legislation no longer meets the needs of regular taxi drivers.
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The drivers said they felt trapped in a system that was choking their income on a daily basis. They also accused politicians of repeatedly passing responsibility from one to another, despite years of talks and patience on the part of the sector.
To press their demands and try to force a solution, the drivers gathered on Friday morning on Boulevard Pacheco in Brussels. From there, they headed towards the office of Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder, the Brussels Parliament and later to the office of Brussels-Capital Region Minister-President Boris Dilliès.
After the protest ended at about 14:00, Mbenti said the outcome was positive following talks with Dilliès. He said progress had been made after both sides reviewed what he called discriminatory elements in the Brussels ordinance, although they were still waiting for feedback from Brussels State Secretary for the taxi sector Karine Lalieux.
Mbenti said the Brussels ordinance could be revised by the beginning of next year. He added that it was encouraging to finally have a timetable and said talks with De Ridder had also gone well.
