This is the third act of violence against a Baltic Taxi cab in two months. Photo by Nathan Greenhalgh.
RIGA — The saga of intimidation by the so-called “taxi mafia” continued on the weekend in Riga with another attack on a Baltic Taxi car at the airport.
Baltic Taxi board member Janis Naglis told local media the incident occurred at the port’s Riga Passenger Terminal when a man jumped out of a white Toyota and slashed the cab’s tires with a weapon, believed to be made for the purpose.
The Baltic Taxi cab had three Swedish tourists inside and was attacked after being blocked in by the assailant. Police are investigating the incident.
Naglis believes more incidents will follow as the economic situation continues to decline adding that the attacks are bad for the country’s reputation.
“The only way to deal with them is for the authorities to take a hard line. The measures that must be taken include withdrawing licenses and shutting unfair market players out,” Naglis said. “It may be that this is not the strategy of a certain company, but such acts do occur. If the system of driver certification was in order, there would be no place for such beasts on the market.”
Repeat incident
The incident is the third of its kind where a Baltic Taxi cab has been attacked.
The first attack occurred in September when three taxi drivers from rival company Rīgas Transporta Sabiedrība surrounded a Baltic Taxi car and punctured its tires and damaged its door. The assailants were arrested on scene.
A day later a gunman fired at a Baltic Taxi. Criminal cases were opened on both these incidents.
The taxi company is a new entrant to the market, which has been controlled by what airBaltic management calls a “taxi mafia.” While Baltic Taxi is not directly owned by the Latvian airline, it shares its branding and is part of the same business strategy.
The continuing intimidation campaign is to deter Baltic Taxi from continuing to operate, but company owner Bertolt Flick assured Baltic Reports that the company is “there to stay.”
Interesting to see, if this “white Toyota -company” was again ***, for how long local authorities and police let that mafia-style company continue operating. They already have bad reputation among foreigners. Isn’t it enough to be over expensive and cheating, is there a need to use violence?
Would be nice to read some comments from directors of that company.
Need to hope Riga will do something remarkable to change this situation. Those drivers are destroying tourism very effective way. Or maybe that could be a new attraction for incoming tourists. See how local business works in real life, just take an excursion to see white Toyota taxis, only extra insurance will be needed :)
After all it will also be a problem for hotels which have a contract with that kind of transporting company. And as we know it’s not always so healthy to try to end some contracts…
This “mafia style” of business should have been eradicated over the last 16 years or so since the baltics became independant, the problem as always is corruption at the highest level in government and the police, and back hand payoffs, and untill this is addressed at the very top then how can the bottom of the barrel be expected to be cleaned up.
Taxi rip off in Vilnius airport is ripe, I just returned with a Lithuanian and decided to just see what the prices are, I asked my Lithuanian friend to ask and they told her 40 litas, I then went to the same driver and asked, and because I am foreign he told me 60 litas, of course I called Ekipazas, the taxi firm I always use, they turned up in 5 minutes and the cost ……. 12 litas to the Old Town. I would urge anybody to call a taxi when you arrive, they all speak English and if you write the address down and give it to the driver you e will have no problem.
The government should enforce a controlled fee for the taxi’s at the airport with a clearly estimated destination charge that people can see.
A 500 % difference in price is unacceptable.
These airBaltic cabbees aren’t exactly angels either. A couple of weeks back i was hit by the bright lights of one of their cabs when I had the nerve to be doing the speed limit on Kalnciema iela. Not to mention the glorious weaving in and out that they do (always at speeds higher than 80) on that same road.
Tom
:) thats the same the world over haha … try getting a cab in Birmingham … quite a frightening experience :) .. at least they are on a level playing field though with that one :)
Billy Bob,
My totally unscientific, uncorroborated observation is that the green airBaltic cabs are much more aggressive on the road than my favourite red cabs.
Yes, it would be interesting to know how much the cab firms have to pay – presumably to the police – to be able to drive the airport road at any speed they like. The police regularly set up speed traps along that stretch but somehow never seem to pull over the cabs that hurtle past…
Feeding off of foreigners is a national sport here, witness the tales of woe emanating from the Old Town late night club scene. As regards the taxi wars, a perfect example of Latvian lethargy and short sightedness. I’ve experienced far worse in Moscow but Latvia is supposed to be advancing towards a civil society!
Don’t take a taxi from the airport at all, take the shuttle bus which has many stops along the way culminating in Old Town and Stockmann. Three lats. Let the so called taxi mafia beat each other into paste or alternately start feeding on the locals. Then you might see some action. The only taxi service I use in the year I have lived here is operated by ladies for ladies, I think you know the one. Don’t laugh, they’re the most professional and trustworthy of the bunch!
I hope the three Swedes communicate their negative experience far and wide.