Law amendments on hold: Taxi drivers forced to stop in the middle of the road, obstructing other drivers

(Patria) - Although the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted the Proposal for amendments to the Law on Road Traffic Safety in BiH at its session on July 9, these amendments have not yet passed the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly.

Because of this, chaos still reigns on the streets of Sarajevo as taxi drivers stop on the roads, avoiding bus stops that are under video surveillance and the fines that have started arriving.

Only public transport vehicles can stop at bus stops, and citizens and taxi drivers receive a fine of 40 KM if they stop.

This situation has put both taxi drivers and citizens in an unfavorable position, as they literally stop a taxi in the middle of the street or a main road, risking their own lives and obstructing other drivers who often have to brake suddenly due to the unexpected stopping of taxis.

Such a practice is dangerous for all traffic participants, especially for drivers behind the taxi.

The amendments to the law, which are on hold in the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, would allow taxi vehicles to briefly stop at stops to pick up or drop off passengers.

After cameras were installed at 27 bus stops in Sarajevo, the Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton began fining taxi drivers and other drivers who stop at stops as of August 1.

Today, we witness taxi vehicles stopping in the traffic lane, at high-traffic locations, to pick up passengers, but this endangers other traffic participants and increases the possibility of traffic accidents.