Sarajevo taxi drivers will be allowed to stop at public transport stops

(Patria) - At today's session of the Sarajevo Canton (SC) Assembly, within the agenda item on parliamentary questions and initiatives, and following an earlier initiative by representative Aljoša Čampara, discussions were held on finding a solution regarding the issue of taxi vehicles stopping at public transport stops.

Čampara submitted this initiative in June this year, and it was supported by the Minister of Interior of Sarajevo Canton, Admir Katica, and the Minister of Transport, Adnan Šteta.

In previous months, intensive work was carried out with the aforementioned line ministers to find legal solutions, and it was promised that the Government of Sarajevo Canton would consider this issue at its next session, specifically amendments to Article 11 of the Law on Taxi Transport in Sarajevo Canton, in line with the previously submitted initiative by Čampara.

The ban on taxi vehicles stopping at stops causes numerous problems in practice, as it hinders their work, causes financial damage due to fines they are forced to pay if they pick up passengers at a stop, and at the same time leads them to commit other violations if they stop improperly to pick up passengers elsewhere.

Although the installation of cameras at stops is a highly commendable and good project from the aspect of increasing safety for all traffic participants, in practice it has proven necessary to exempt taxi vehicles, which are also part of public transport, as established by the federal regulation - the Law on Road Transport in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At today's session of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, a step further was taken in protecting the rights of taxi operators.

Representative Elza Gaković and the Chairman of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, Elvedin Okerić, submitted an initiative for amendments to the Law on the Basics of Road Traffic Safety in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and for stricter penal provisions to sanction drivers who park vehicles at taxi stands.

There are increasingly frequent cases of irresponsible drivers who, by illegally parking at taxi stands, hinder taxi drivers from performing their activity. According to current legal provisions, the penalty for this violation is 40 BAM.

Representative Gaković submitted an initiative to increase the fine from 40 to 200 BAM, which would prevent illegal parking and improve the quality and efficiency of taxi services.