Measures Taken to Sanction Taxi Drivers’ Violations at Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport

In the past six months, 29 violations of the airport taxi regulations have been recorded at Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (AIHCB). As a result, measures were taken to restrict the access of the offending taxi drivers to the passenger pick-up area.

More than half of these sanctions involved suspending access for a period of 12 months, for violations such as demanding unjustified fares, refusing to pick up passengers, or tampering with taximeter components.

The most recent sanction was issued on the evening of July 10th of this year, when a taxi driver refused to take a passenger. In this case, the measure applied was the permanent withdrawal and cancellation of the airport badge, effectively banning the driver from picking up passengers at the airport indefinitely.

For less serious offenses (such as leaving the vehicle unattended in the grouping area or approaching potential customers), sanctions were applied in accordance with the current Taxi Regulations, including bans on passenger pick-up ranging from 30 to 180 days. Two taxi drivers have permanently lost their right to pick up passengers at AIHCB.

These sanctions complement those imposed as a result of regular and unannounced checks carried out by the Airport Transport Police, based on legal provisions.

Bucharest Airports National Company has also launched an awareness campaign targeting passengers using taxi services at AIHCB. This includes distributing flyers to passengers before boarding taxis at the Arrivals terminal, and displaying a guide in visible locations, including on the company’s website and social media pages. The guide includes estimated fares for specific destinations and distances, as well as recommendations for passengers (such as requesting and keeping the fiscal receipt, saving the taxi order ticket from touchscreen kiosks, and contact emails of the relevant authorities for complaints and reports).

Starting today, the Taxi Regulations at AIHCB are being amended to introduce the most severe sanctions so far: the permanent cancellation of airport badges for violations that previously resulted in temporary suspension.

At the same time, Bucharest Airports National Company has submitted proposals to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to amend the Taxi Law, aiming to introduce much stricter penalties for taxi drivers operating at AIHCB.

We thank the Ministry of Internal Affairs for their support in combating and sanctioning such taxi driver practices within the airport perimeter, and we also call for increased control actions to ensure fair taxi services at AIHCB.