Inspection on the ground, call to citizens to report "wild taxi drivers" in Sarajevo

SARAJEVO, (Patria) – Among the legal taxi drivers on the streets of Sarajevo, so-called "wild taxi drivers" can also be seen, i.e. vehicles without appropriate plates (TA designation) and with a illuminated sign, which they most often remove from the roof of the vehicle when a passenger enters. The Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs has repeatedly appealed to citizens to pay attention to whether they are dealing with legal carriers when stopping taxi vehicles. If a passenger is found in a vehicle that is not a legal taxi carrier, they will be fined 50 KM.

As confirmed for the Patria News Agency by the KUIP, in order to prevent illegal taxi services, cantonal traffic inspectors conduct inspection supervision daily between 8:00 AM and 10:00 PM.

During supervision at checkpoints and during traffic stops, traffic police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Sarajevo Canton provide assistance, and after 10:00 PM, authorized police officers conduct the supervision.

"In the first eight months of this year, 523 inspection supervisions were carried out, and due to the identified irregularities, inspectors imposed fines totaling 13,900 KM, while initiating seven misdemeanor proceedings before the competent court," the KUIP response states.

In the last five years, since the adoption of the Law on Taxi Transport in the Sarajevo Canton, traffic inspectors have issued 3,480 misdemeanor orders totaling 2,224,920 KM due to established irregularities. The Inspection states that due to the constant presence of inspectors on the ground, which will continue in the future, the number of established violations in the field of taxi transport has decreased.

"A taxi carrier who has not been issued a supplementary taxi designation by the Ministry of Transport of the Sarajevo Canton cannot perform taxi transport in this canton, except in cases where they are transiting the territory or completing a passenger journey that began outside the Sarajevo Canton, in which case the "TAXI" roof sign must not be displayed on the taxi vehicle. According to the provisions of Article 40 of the Law on Taxi Transport of the Sarajevo Canton, passengers are obliged to use a taxi vehicle that has license plates with the letter designation "TA", an illuminated taxi roof sign, and a supplementary taxi designation affixed to the front windshield of the vehicle," the KUIP reminds.

Also, in order to further reduce the number of "wild taxi drivers", the KUIP calls on citizens to report any observed irregularities to the inspection by providing the license plate number of the vehicle used for illegal taxi transport, so that the perpetrators can be identified in cooperation with the police authorities.

"The easiest way to do this, at the moment they notice a violation, is to call the duty phone for reports at 033 770 156 during working hours from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on weekdays, or by sending a message (photos, videos) via Viber to the number 061 160-926, on weekdays and weekends," say the KUIP.