The new road transport bill which will allow ordering and paying for taxi services via apps was sent to parliament on Thursday. Other changes include lifting limits on taxi cab permits, letting taxi cabs choose whether they would use a meter or an app to charge rider, and a whole new licensing system.

The government said liberalising the taxi cab market would help double the number of cab drivers from the current 3,000, which has been deemed as insufficient for a popular tourist destination like Croatia. It is also expected that the new rules would result in lower prices for riders.

On the other hand, the government refused to let Uber register its service as a special form of transport, meaning the same rules should apply to Uber drivers.

A new provision will also allow municipal authorities to issue taxi permits in their area to anyone owning a taxi cab license, as until now only locally-based operators could get those permits. This change means that taxi cab operators based in the north of the country would for the first time be able to operate in cities along the coast during the summer tourist season.

Future taxi drivers will be required to be at least 21 years of age, with no criminal record, and no more than 25,000 kuna (€3,360) worth of traffic-related fines over the previous two years. In addition, the age of taxi vehicles will also be regulated.