IRU Policies and Taxi Regulation in Finland 28 th March 2013 Moscow Nina Nizovsky The Finnish Taxi Owners´ Federation IRU Taxi Group

IRU Policies on the Social Role of Taxis

IRU Taxis and Hire Cars with Driver Group Working Group in the IRU Represents the interests of the taxi sector Vis-a-vis national and international decision-makers To promote and develop taxi transport for the good of the industry and of the customers 15 member states Meetings 2 times / year Ad hoc Working groups and projects

The Taxi Group monitors and intervenes Exchanges experiences and best practices Innovative new solutions for taxi transport, diversification of services Traffic safety and security of taxi drivers Iniatives to EU bodies Industry-friendly social rules i.e. working time rules Development of new markets and special services Taxi fares New and cleaner vehicles New technologies, Apps, Smart phones, cahless payment, cameras

The Taxi Group promotes The quality of the taxi market and taxi services Access to Profession rules Recognition of taxis as a means of collective / public transport The EU public-private High Level Group recognises now also taxis as a key part of the public passanger mobility chain Doubling the use of collective passanger transport including taxis The image of taxis Taxis are the most flexible mode of public transport Taxi – Anytime! Anywhere!

Public Regulation of Taxi Services in Finland

Taxi regulation in Finland taxis / license-holders Ca drivers 55 million passengers and 830 million kilometres / year Total turnover 1 billion euros 55 % of taxis in cities, 45 % in rural areas 40 % privately paid trips 40 % publicly financed 20 % business trips

Taxi drivers requirements Permanent driving licence Mandatory vocational training of 30 hours Retraining 7 hours every 5 years Age under 70 years, Criminal record check Medical certificate Local area knowledge

Access to Profession / Taxi License Experience as a taxi driver / in Helsinki up to 9 years / less in the country-side Certain solvency criteria, no formal guarantees required Good repute / criminal check 120 hours mandatory training in an authorised collage / or specific higher education plus exam Examination demonstrating professional competence

Taxi regulation in Finland The taxi industry is regulated by Taxi law The law is enforced by Ministry of Transport and Communication There are certain quality demands for all drivers and operators License system is based on regional quotas, which are decided yearly by State Provincial Offices These authorities also issue licenses On the road checks on licenses, vehicles and working hours are made by police Suomen Taksiliitto, The Finnish Taxi Owners´ Federation interacts with the decision-makers Almost 90 % of operators are members

Taxi licensing system One license / car No restrictions on amount of licenses / operator / normally Licenses are issued according to seniority among qualified applicants From 2013 licenses are issued every 3 years to existing operators Licenses are valid permanently But there is a criminal record check and financial check yearly Licenses are not transferable, except for 330 companies in Helsinki, which can be bought and sold until 2017 Only tax is paid for the licence

Other regulations Registering taximeters are mandatory The taxi sign is mandatory Credit cards, smart cards, Taxi cards accepted Safety cameras in approx. 40 % of taxis Maximum fares for street customers based on the law and checked once / year 40 major dispatching centres