Eight taxi companies in Bucharest will have to pay a EUR 0.5 million fine for price fixing, according to the Competition Council. The companies which received the fine had at the time of the price fixing agreement 70% of the local taxi market. The highest fine went to Autocobălcescu, some EUR 375,000, while Meridian Taxi and Meridian Taxi plus were fined some EUR 49,000. Cristaxi Service also got a fine of EUR 49,000, while Pelicanul Grup (two companies), some EUR 24,000. Other companies fined were Confort Taxi – some EUR 1,000 and Grup AS 2000 Transcom – some EUR 5,800.

The price per kilometer charged by these companies is of RON 1.39, and for stationary waiting, RON 13.9 per hour.  This is a low price – and the minimum imposed by the City Hall-, and is often deemed too small by taxi drivers to make any profits. The maximum price per kilometer in Bucharest is of RON 3.5 as set by the municipality, and is usually charged by the so called scammers, taxi drivers who work independently and who are usually not affiliated to any taxi company.

The Council found that these companies agreed to all charge the same price per kilometer, and based on its findings, will make recommendations to the local authorities responsible with authorizing and regulating taxi services in Bucharest.

It is not the first time when the Council sanctions price fixing among taxi services providers. In 2010 and 2011, it found and fined such cases in Constanţa, Timişoara, Baia Mare and Târgu-Mureş, which resulted in 34 companies being fined with some EUR 363,000 in total.

editor@romania-insider.com