Taxis as part of the public transport chain

EU PUBLIC-PRIVATE SMART MOVE HIGH LEVEL GROUP Concluding public event, European Parliament, 15 May 2013 Taxis as part of the public transport chain Hubert Andela, HLG rapporteur & Chairman of the IRU Group “Taxis and Hire Cars with Driver” Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Colleagues, It is my pleasure to present to you the High Level Group reflections and proposals regarding taxis and hire cars with driver.

A taxi business is most often a local business. This is one of the reasons why the sector has largely been ignored up until now by policy decision makers, in particular at European level.

I addition, the potential role of taxis as part of the public transport chain is often underestimated in policy circles. We have witnessed this problem even in the High Level Group discussion on taxis. Although every one of us uses taxi services, it is only rarely that a serious debate on the potential role of taxis in collective passenger transport systems takes place.

As a rule, taxis become a matter of discussion only when problems occur. And of course, like in every sector, there are always challenges: in some countries more than in others.

About the outcome of the High Level Group: It has recognised taxis for what they are - and I quote - “an optimal efficient and sustainable alternative to the private car, offering a 24hour/365-day availability, coupled with a unique door-to-door customised service.”

For us, for the European taxi industry, this is a very strong message to policy decision makers at all levels – European, national, and local – to take taxis seriously in their policy making. To empower taxis to become THE element which gives the public transport chain flexibility and availability – indeed the “anytime, anywhere” quality. With the help of taxis, the collective passenger transport chain can successfully compete with the private car.

We very much welcome the High Level Group recommendation (and I quote again) to: “Recognise taxis, hire cars with driver services, and car sharing as a valuable and necessary element of the collective public transport chain, and consider the role of taxis in any mobility policy proposals, collective transport funding, research and, in particular, urban mobility planning.”

We believe that implementing this recommendation will open the door for many other initiatives, at European as well as at national and local level.

As representatives of the organised taxi industry, we want to prove we are the trustworthy and responsible partner to policy decision makers, in creating the legislative and market framework that helps collective public passenger transport to double its use by 2025.

I thank you for your attention. ***