Brussels taxi drivers protest new meter requirements

Traffic in Brussels was severely disrupted yesterday as 250 taxi drivers blocked roads in protest at the introduction of a digital taximeter imposed by the Brussels-Capital Region. The main action took place on the inner ring road, where protesters blocked both streets and tunnels.

Some 150 taxis tried to gather outside the offices of Brussels minister-president Rudi Vervoort but were dispersed by police. About 50 others assembled at South Station. Elsewhere, trams were prevented from moving between the stops Louiza and Kruidtuin, while buses on the same stretch of road were disrupted.

Drivers trying to enter the central part of the city were subject to long delays as taxi pickets controlled the traffic flow, even in the presence of police. The Leopold II tunnel from the Basiliek to Rogier was closed completely, and the action even extended as far as the Reyers tunnel in Schaarbeek.

One driver was detained for administrative reasons but later released, according to Constantin Tsatsakis, chair of the Brussels Taxi Association. The drivers are complaining that they were not adequately consulted on the decision to introduce digital meters, which automatically record details of journeys. The meters are meant to combat fraud – carrying passengers off-meter, for example, and pocketing the undeclared income or charging customers too much. Drivers are also protesting at the price of the meters, which cost €3,000 each. The city pays one-third of the cost and has also lowered taxes for drivers by €350 a year.

The Brussels government says the introduction of the metres is essential to the modernisation of the taxi fleet. “They improve the service provided to the client and limit the administrative work required from drivers and taxi companies,” read a statement.