If the crackdown comes to pass, all of Tallinn's taxi companies would have to comply regardless of their past conduct.
TALLINN — Tallinn’s municipal government is considering a number of options to drive out criminal taxi operators, and everything from increased police monitoring to painting all registered cabs green is on the table.
City hall is on the offensive against taxi companies practicing tourism scams and involved with criminal groups, something Tallinn cabbies have in common with some of their counterparts in Riga and Vilnius. The municipal plan has not been decided yet, but could include additional police monitoring of the conduct of taxi companies, more stringent business regulations and painting all the taxis one color.
Jüri Pihl, a Tallinn deputy mayor told Eesti Päevaleht Tuesday the city’s taxi commission is compiling ideas how to change the taxi service.
“The taxi commission has to work, so the rules in the taxi service would be clear and known to everybody,” Pihl said.
Pihl said all taxis in Tallinn could end up painted the same color like in New York or London.
The Estonian Taxi Drivers Union is not amused with the plans. Lembit Poolak, a board member of the union, which represents taxi employees, said should work with, not against taxi companies.
“The city should finally start cooperation with the Taxi Drivers Union,” Poolak told Baltic Reports. “At this moment the city does not have a fixed activity plan as well.”
Poolak criticizes the use of term “taxi mafia” by the media and city hall, asserting that there is no such thing.
“We can qualify some actions as misdeeds of which the purpose has been violating other peoples’ property to counter competition, or in the worst case blackmail,” Poolak told Baltic Reports. “But using that kind of term is soiling the reputation of our taxi drivers.”
Poolak said that if the city has data on blackmailing by the taxi service providers or by criminals they should use their energy on developing collaboration between the city and the police instead of regulating business more.
Taxis go green, or maybe yellow
Taavi Aas, a Tallinn deputy mayor said at a press conference Wednesday that the city would do more than paint the taxis one color, it would also make the engines more environmentally-friendly by requiring them to run on electric power.
“At one point it would be green in design and in a substantive point it would move toward green transportation, electrical transportation,” Aas said.
In fact, green is only one shade under consideration. Aas said yellow could be a good option since there are the least amount of yellow vehicles registered in Estonia than any other color.
However, Poolak argues that painting the taxis in a uniform color would be expensive and subsequently increase fares.
