The new bill proposed by the government intended to regulate taxi services aims to make cabs more affordable and accessible, Transport Minister Oleg Butkovic said in Parliament on Wednesday.

Butkovic dismissed claims that the bill is designed to favour ride-sharing apps like Uber, and said the bill would bring a level playing field for everyone in the business.

“The bill will introduce the same rules for everyone, nobody is being favoured here, the only ones favoured are users who will pay less for taxi rides,” Butkovic said.

The new bill will also drop the limits on the number of licences issued by cities and municipalities for taxis operating in their territory, allowing licensed cabs to operate anywhere in the country.

Although the provision caused some concern in coastal cities visited by large numbers of tourists like Dubrovnik and Split, Butkovic said that the bill would not increase traffic congestion.

“Traffic jams is not something to fear, there were and always will be jams, it’s up to mayors to reduce them through local traffic regulation,” Butkovic said.

The road transport bill should enable liberalisation of taxi cab services, allow easier licensing, and abolish the mandatory tests for drivers about the area serviced.

Government projections say that the bill could result in doubling the number of professional cab drivers in the country, currently at about 3,000 – which the government says is too few for a tourism-oriented country such as Croatia.

Drivers will also be able to choose to charge fares based on either the meter or an electronic app. Future cab drivers will need to be at least 21 years of age and will only have to take an traffic theory exam, replacing the current requirement to have a three-year trade school degree.
Licenses for existing drivers would be extended by five years, without the requirements for new drivers. The age of vehicles used would also be limited via additional regulation, most likely to be set at seven years.

Follow N1 via mobile apps for Android | iPhone/iPad | Windows| and social media on Twitter | Facebook.