Several hundred taxi drivers took part in protest against Bolt policies

RIGA - Monday morning, several hundred taxi drivers took part in a protest in Riga against Bolt policies, LETA observed.

The taxi drivers had Latvian flags attached to their cars, as well as various posters with messages such as "We Are Not Slaves!", "24 Hours Without Bolt!" and others.

Taxi drivers' protests also took place in Daugavpils and Jelgava Monday morning.

About 300 automobiles took part in the protest in Riga, and about 1,000 taxi drivers did not work on Monday, Ella Petrova, chairwoman of the Licensed Commercial Passenger Carriers Development Association, told LETA.

Inga Vejina, chairwoman of the Latvian Public Services and Transport Employees' Union, stressed at a press conference following the protest that none of the invited representatives from ministries, the Competition Council, the Corruption Prevention Bureau, and Bolt Operations attended the press conference. This shows the attitude of the state toward the taxi industry, she said.

Transport Minister Atis Svinka (Progressives) had arrived for just ten minutes, which is why the meeting with the minister was cancelled.

Svinka said on X that last week he presented concrete proposals to the government, which the Transport Ministry had been working on for the last six months. The proposals include more accessible taxi services for customers, a single licensing system by one authority, and a single license for taxi drivers to operate across Latvia, which would also benefit local governments.

The proposals also include clear and uniform rules for Latvia's taxi industry, less red tape and costs for operators, a single information and data system, potential entry of new operators on the market, and a 15 percent cap on commissions, said Svinka.

Taxi drivers' associations have issued an ultimatum to both the government and Bolt. Taxi drivers are demanding from the government a level playing field for all market players, transparency of algorithms and calculations, fair taxes, social guarantees and job security, crisis support measures and fuel excise reform, and a single law on commercial taxis' operations.

Bolt General Manager in Latvia Kristine Bezerra-Kjerulfa told LETA that she understood the protesters and that the Bolt platform also supported a level playing field for the entire passenger transport industry. Bolt also supports cutting red tape in the licensing procedures.

"It is more complicated and expensive to work as a passenger carrier in Latvia than in the other Baltic countries - while in Lithuania a license costs EUR 8, in Latvia a driver has to pay EUR 377. This affects the cost and accessibility of passenger transport for residents," added Bezerra-Kjerulfa.

Monday morning saw traffic jams in Riga due to the taxi drivers' protest.