Official taxi area and touch screen devices for ordering cabs installed at Bucharest main railway station Gara de Nord

Taking a cab will no longer be a risky business for passengers who commute via the main railway station in Romanian capital Bucharest. Four touch screen devices for ordering cabs have been recently installed in the Gara de Nord – North Railway Station in Bucharest, in a move similar to the one done earlier this year at the main Bucharest airport. Passengers will no longer have to go outside the main railway station building to find a cab. Instead they can order via the multi-lingual touch screen devices, which issue a printed ticket with the name of cab company, number and time until arrival. They then wait for their cab in the area specially designated outside the main entrance/exit of the railway station. The area is under video surveillance and has two automatic blocks, which are lifted only when the official, requested cab arrives. This prevents other cab drivers accessing the area and 'stealing' clients. The extra service does not come with an extra price for passengers. So far, only two cab companies have been authorised to take fares from the railway station, and soon there will be three. However, all the other cab companies that wish to access the service and join the system will be able to do so, as the system is open to everyone. Clients can choose from which company they want their cab, before posting the order. The main railway station, funded by state-owned CFR SA, did not have to pay anything, as the taxi station outside the building was rented out to the bid winner, Meridian Taxi, which also installed the four touch screen devices. The company pays CFR RON 1,500 a month – or some EUR 330- in rent for the official taxi area, plus the publicity costs on banners which direct people to that area. editor@romania-insider.com