Transport Minister promises new taxi area at Otopeni airport and help desks with free phones

Travelers landing on the Otopeni airport in Bucharest will have access to a dedicated taxi area in February, when the airport taxi operations will be re-organized. Most taxis are currently barred from picking up clients in front of the airport, where only the authorized companies can pick up fares. But this is set to change after the Transport Ministry re-organizes activity, according to minister Relu Fenechiu. An area dedicated to cabs picking up fares will be created, while phones for free calls to cab companies will also be installed. To pick up fares at the airport, most cab drivers now await their passengers in an area close to the airport, where parking is not allowed, so they have to break the rules to pick up passengers who order cabs by phone. The minister admitted that unauthorized cab drivers or intermediaries are currently harassing passengers landing on the Bucharest airport, and that all the authorized cabs use the maximum fare, RON 3.5 per kilometers (or some EUR 0.7). The usual fare in Bucharest is of RON 1.3 to RON 1.5 per kilometer (EUR 0.28 to EUR 0.33). The minister proposed moving the waiting area for cabs to the first floor of the arrival terminal, where only cabs called by clients will have access. Cabs will be allowed to stay there for 15 minutes but drivers will not be allowed to leave their cars. Two help desks will be installed for ordering cabs, in the arrival area, with information boards with phone numbers and tariffs, as well as phones to call for cabs free of charge. Passengers will be able to choose between cabs waiting in front of the terminal and calling for a cab themselves. Irregularities at the airport concerning the taxi activity became a debated topic after a Japanese student was murdered last year. After landing, she was accosted by a Romanian who helped her find a cab, but ended up killing her in a forest close to the airport. editor@romania-insider.com