Quote:
In addition to wanting a hike in bus fares, taxi drivers also want the state to come up with a withdrawal scheme to reduce the number of taxis in the area.
“In 2003 there were only 125 taxis in the area … today there are 265 resulting in the drivers taking a smaller share of the pie,” Moustakas said.
No new taxi licences have been issued – for the whole of Cyprus -- in the past seven years after authorities decided their number was very high for such a small population.
Taxi licences were considered an investment, with many owners selling them on to others for a hefty profit. Many permits have been secured through nepotism.
And now, what the taxi drivers are effectively asking the government to do, is to buy what it had granted to them for free. Moustakas said taxpayers would not have to pay anything.
He said the government could pay for the permit of taxi drivers who wish to leave the profession and then, in the future, sell the licence to anyone who wants to join the sector. Moustakas could not say what the asking price was.
So if the government buys plates from retiring owners and then reissues them to anyone wanting to buy one then how would that reduce the number of taxis? If the govt did retain them to reduce numbers then the taxpayer
would foot the bill.
Which is presumably why Moustakas won't just sell them at the going rate - he wants the govt to artificially boost the price.
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