TAKE A TAXI!

Baku residents will probably remember October 2010 for the London Taxi TX4, Daewoo Lacetti, Daewoo Nexia and Chevrolet taxis that were brought to the city. And this is not just because Baku taxis will soon change colour from yellow to purple. Taxi services in Azerbaijan are on the verge of serious reforms that will affect fares and service rules. Henceforward, 3,000 purple taxis working to a fixed fare scale will appear in the country. If this is not enough, more purple taxi cars will be imported. The new taxis were shown to President Ilham Aliyev at Azadliq Square because improvements to taxi services began with instructions from the president. It was said that 12 of the cars brought from London will be used as taxis. The president did a trial drive in a TX4 car.

An official presentation of the new cars was held on 15 October. London Taxi International's representative Nigel Walters took part in the presentation. He told the audience about the history of the London taxi, speaking in detail about the company's cars and services. "Welcome to our family!" he said in conclusion. We think that London taxis will become one of Baku's attractions.

London Taxi International has been manufacturing TX cabs since 1997. The latest model, TX4, is highly manoeuvrable, has a Euro IV compliant engine, modern safety systems, a children's seat, a wheelchair ramp and seats for 5 passengers. The driver's cabin is separated from the passenger cabin by a glass partition. The cars are fitted with taxi meters. The Call Centre operates 24 hours a day and has an on-line system to establish the car's location and speed, fuel consumption and engine condition. It takes 40 seconds to receive and process a call, the system finds the nearest car within 90 seconds and it arrives at the customer in 7-8 minutes.

New services are to be offered to passengers - 3,000-manat insurance for road accidents and a lost property search. Each taxi has drivers working in 3 shifts. The drivers have been trained by London Taxis International to ensure a high quality of service.

British taxis are unusual in every respect. The service life specified by the manufacturer is 10-12 years, the engine run is 800,000 km, but in reality London cabs run 1m km and many are in service for over 25 years.

Meanwhile, the struggle for a better environment has entered a new stage and this caused London Taxis International to tell the government that it would halt production in 2010 because without additional investment the company - which is rather small - will not be able to meet EuroV standards. To comply with the new standards London cabs must be provided with a new hybrid engine - this requires about 5 million pounds, which the company does not have. Each cab produced by London Taxis International costs 25,000-30,000 pounds and annual production is around 2,500 cars. The company believes a new engine will increase the price by 12,000 pounds which will reduce demand, leading to the company's failure. This is why the company has asked the government for money and has started selling its cars abroad.

One window

City residents have responded quite positively to reports about the new taxis brought to Baku. Visitors to on-line forums opened heated debates about the advantages and disadvantages of innovations to taxi services. Some say that taxi service reforms are long-awaited and that taxi drivers will stop providing services in their own cars. Some say that passengers will be safer in the new cars. The reform has its opponents - although they are not great in number. They say that a one-window system will allow one private company to monopolize the service. They have a point. But public transport services are run by one department in many developed countries. The point is to avoid confusion in taxi services, pricing chaos and - the main point - to ensure passenger safety. Experts suggest making the international technical requirements for taxi services accessible to everyone, in order to prevent monopolization of the service.

Taxi drivers also differ in their attitudes towards the innovations. Some believe that the new rules will bring order to the taxi management system and that a partition separating the driver's cabin from passengers will secure drivers against assaults. One thing which worries taxi drivers is that the fixed salary will not be high enough. Private taxi drivers do not want innovations - their services might be banned once the new taxi cars arrive in the country and they will lose their earnings.

The Transport Ministry admits that private taxi cars will be banned after the new taxi service becomes operational. If a private taxi owner wants to continue his business, he will have to sit relevant exams and paint his car the same colour as the other taxis.

The Ministry believes that private taxi services must be adjusted as private taxis have caused many problems, such as obstructing traffic by parking in inappropriate places: market places and railway and bus stations, not to mention their unsightly appearance. "Taxis are not just about providing transport services. Drivers must speak two languages and know the city - these are new requirements for private taxi drivers. They use old cars, do not observe traffic rules and set fares themselves. It is not difficult to become a taxi driver today. It costs 2,000 to 3,000 dollars to buy a second-hand Lada, which is affordable for many people in Azerbaijan. You can buy taxi signs for 8 dollars in any car shop and the shop assistant will not ask you to show a taxi driving licence. This business requires minimal investment. The new rules are expected to change the situation radically. There are plans to set up taxi stations, which will hire drivers who pass a written exam. The State Traffic Police will have its workload increased. Taxi roof lights will be considered a special sign and those carrying it without a licence will be punished," says Transport Ministry spokesman Namiq Hasanov.

Here is a story told by a taxi driver who has a state licence. "Taxi drivers working with official licences often have no place to park for a cigarette or a cup of tea - private taxi drivers immediately voice discontent. That is because taxi parking places are divided into sectors, which in turn are controlled by parking lot owners. The sea-side boulevard is also divided into sectors which especially angers licensed taxi drivers. And it is not at all clear for whom the man with a red armband who collects a manat for your car's safety is working. The situation is different at Baku's airport and in the Old City - all taxi drivers are unanimous that there should be parking meters. Unregulated parking is a relic of the past, and those places often cause squabbles between private taxi drivers," said this driver.

Treat all alike

Back in 2006 the Transport Ministry discussed the unification of taxi services to improve the quality and to combat tax evasion by private taxi owners. It seems that strict state control will finally put taxi services in order. A taxi - irrespective of its colour and the presence of roof lights - is public transport that ensures the safe, quick and comfortable transport of passengers and cargo. So, as public transport, a taxi offers services to customers. What happens in reality?  You experience all the "amenities" of the taxi service immediately you discuss the fare with the driver. If you take a taxi near the Old City in the city centre to go to the distant "8th kilometre" the fare will be 10 manats, if you bargain the fare may reduce to 8 manats and even to 6 manats on rare occasions. A question arises: what are the criteria for calculating fares? 

Taxi fares require special attention. In Soviet times, there were taximeters to calculate the fare. In 1988, the fare was 20 cents per kilometre, and the distance was computed in advance. That favoured passengers, as the fare did not depend on traffic - it was advantageous for drivers to choose the best route and drive at the best speed. The disadvantage of this system is that it is unprofitable for drivers to work in heavy traffic, but that was not a problem in the USSR. Fares can also be calculated per minute and per kilometre, shown on a taximeter. But experts say these two options allow drivers to cheat their passengers. It is important to know that the fare does not depend on the number of passengers or cargo - additional payment is only for waiting for a passenger and for cargo outside the boot.

The Transport Ministry plans to use taximeters to introduce a unified fare system. According to initial tariffs, passengers will pay 2 manats for the first 3 kilometres of a journey and 70 kopecks for every subsequent 3 kilometres. "These are preliminary fares, and they will probably be changed slightly. But, still, one can proceed from these figures," said a Ministry representative. Taxi drivers who have licences and pay taxes generally do not oppose this as they believe that exaggerated fares make passengers angry. Who opposes it? Private taxi drivers.

We have to say that for passengers it is advantageous to take licensed taxis which are safe. These taxis undergo technical checks at taxi stations. In addition, to become a taxi driver one has to get a licence - which costs 30-60 manats depending on its term - and to pass exams. Most licensed taxi drivers are professionals who know the city very well. It is better for the drivers to work for the state which guarantees pensions, safeguards against fault-finding by the traffic police and the various force majeure situations which are often encountered on the roads. If, in addition, the innovations include fixed salaries for the drivers, the job will become even more attractive.

According to Transport Ministry spokesman Namiq Hasanov, nobody knows the exact number of taxis, as there are no relevant statistics. Judging by appearances, there are over 30,000 private taxis in Baku. 

Innovations

So, what innovations will be introduced? Namiq Hasanov says that in the first place all taxis in the country will be of one colour. "A new plan has already been prepared to introduce one colour for all taxis. Initially, these taxis will be in use in large cities, such as Baku, Sumgayit and Ganca, and then in the regions. Taxis in the capital will differ in colour from those in other parts of the country. Cars will be of different models. When one colour is introduced for all taxis, the problem of tax evasion will be eliminated. It will also simplify the work of traffic policemen. Soviet-era cars used as taxis will be taken off the roads first, and then it will be the turn of foreign cars," he said.

In addition, the Ministry has announced a contest for personnel training within the project to create an intellectual transport management system with satellite navigation in Baku.  The new system is expected to be ready by February 2011. It is planned to establish about 639 bus stops and 140 taxi parking places; 375 stops already exist, 289 new stops will be set up, 42 stops will be re-located and 10 will cease to exist. The Traffic Police and South Korean experts are involved in this work. Some 150 electronic traffic lights will be installed.

There are plans to set up 450 bus stops with electronic indicator panels to monitor the movement of buses via satellite. Indicator panels and cameras at bus stops will make it possible to monitor whether the bus station is in the right place and being used effectively.

New taxis will be brought to Azerbaijan by late 2010 or in 2011.

Ideal taxi

So what is an ideal taxi service? The main components are an autopark and skilled drivers bearing responsibility for passengers' safety. Plus safe cars. Other components are skilled personnel, politeness and farsightedness among the staff. Timely repairs to cars is, naturally, the main condition for keeping the autopark in good order.

Let's look at how London cabs work. The police are a state agency which issues three-year licences. Apart from the licence, the driver gets a number badge and a plate with an engraved licence number and the number of passenger the car is allowed to carry at one time. The licence also allows the driver to pick up passengers on demand. But not all taxi companies have such a licence - it is cheaper to buy a licence to work as an on-call taxi. These taxis will not pick you up if you wave them down on the street, as they will be punished with a huge fine and may lose their licence. It is not enough to pay for a licence to become a taxi driver - one has to pass an exam on one's knowledge of London and its outskirts. Many taxi drivers in London know the city so well that they do not use a GPS-navigator - only 2-3% of London cabs have one.

New York taxis are yellow, sometimes with black and white squares, they have roof lights showing the licence number. The bright colour was chosen in the early 20th century by the Yellow Cab company which manufactured cars to be used as taxis only. Yellow taxis were visible from a distance. In the 1960s New York taxis were equipped with radio communication to a controller. But that made passengers complain because on-call taxis did not pick up people waving them down on the street. Nowadays, yellow taxis collect passengers on the streets and are not allowed to work on call. There are also car services in New York - companies working on call. In these companies the drivers and controllers use radio communication; they are not allowed to use taximeters or to have roof lights.