The Police have opened an investigation after a taxi driver in Bucharest pulled out a gun during a quarrel with a client. The event occurred on Wednesday, January 31, near Bucharest’s main airport - the Otopeni airport.

It all started after the client didn’t agree with the route the taxi driver had chosen. The driver got angry and told the client to get out of the car, according to local news station Digi24.ro, which also published a video of the incident.

The quarrel continued after the client got out of the taxi. At some point, the taxi driver pulled out a gun from the car’s trunk and put it inside his belt, but not before threatening his client once again.

The taxi driver was fired after the news about the incident started appearing in the local media, and the Police opened an investigation. According to the Police, the taxi driver was carrying an airsoft gun that does not require authorization.

Bucharest mayor Gabriela Firea also reacted to the incident, saying that the City Hall has zero tolerance for taxi drivers who fail to respect the taxi law.

“We have zero tolerance for such acts and remind both taxi drivers and taxi owners that they are directly responsible. It’s not natural to have such incidents in an European capital where passenger services are intended to be modern, safe and accessible,” Firea said, cited by local Mediafax.

She also said that this incident shows the importance of the new taxi transport regulation, which "must come into force as soon as possible".

The new regulation is currently under public debate on the City Hall’s website. It introduces important new rules for taxi drivers in Bucharest. For example, they may be fined if they refuse trips, they are obliged to have a civilized and preventive behavior towards other road users and the control authorities, to dress decently, not to keep the documents or objects of the client, to keep the car clean both inside and outside, and not to use inappropriate language. The new regulation also prohibits the use of higher tariffs than those authorized and displayed on the car and, therefore, the prohibition of price negotiation.

The draft project also includes a more controversial measure, namely the one referring to the fact that only authorized carriers with dispatch services authorized by the municipality will be able to carry out taxi transport activities in the Romanian capital. This may affect the activity of ride-sharing services such as Uber or Taxify, but also taxi apps such as Clever Taxi or Star Taxi. Last week, taxi companies operating in Bucharest, which have been complaining for months about the “unfair” competition from Uber, have also complained about the taxi apps, which they say operate illegally.

Scandal between Uber and taxi drivers turns violent in Romania

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com