Around 200 taxi drivers drove their cars around Heroes’ Square in Budapest on Wednesday, to draw attention to their demands for an increase in the regulated fare schedule.
The organizers of the demonstration said taxi drivers are turning to the central government after the Budapest municipal council failed to respond to a request to negotiate.
Róbert Horacsek, a spokesman for the organisers, said overall prices have risen by 15 percent, while vehicle fuel prices have climbed by 40 percent, since 2017, the last time taxi fares were raised. During the same period, the price of cars suitable for taxi service has risen by about 2 million forints (EUR 56,000), he added.
As the Budapest local council, which sets taxi fares in the capital, has rejected demands to raise those fares, taxi drivers want the central government to set a minimum fare for the whole country, Horacsek said.
Taxi drivers are demanding the base fare be raised from 700 forints to 1,000. They also want to increase the distance-based fare from 300 forints to 500 forints per kilometre and the time-based fare from 75 forints to 100 per minute.
The demonstrators delivered their demands to the Mayor’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office.
Featured photo illustration by Zsolt Szigetváry/MTI