Starting from April, following President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov’s comment, the Ashgabat police have been actively trying to identify private taxi drivers, providing passengers transportation services without a relevant license.
Correspondents of Chronicles of Turkmenistan report that taxi drivers rendering private passengers transportation services, have been stopped on Dashoguz roads since May.
Moreover, the road police stop vehicles on intercity motorways. For instance, on Mary-Ashgabat motorways law enforcement officers stop vehicles with more than two passengers on board and carry out inspections. In case a driver charges a fee from a travel companion, a fine of 300 to 500 manats is imposed.
Taxi drivers used to take 4 passengers and charged 100 manats per each person whereas now they take no more than two passengers but the fare has doubled to 200 manats per person.
On the way back taxi drivers from Mary buy a 50 kilo sacks of flour at 200-220 manats in the suburbs of Ashgabat to subsequently resell it in Mary at 250 manats.
Let us recall that on 23 May, during the Cabinet session with government members, President Berdymukhammedov was outragedby the fact that drives of state-run taxis seek to generate profit by going outside the capital. This is unacceptable since suburban and intercity routes are serviced by specialized vehicles, � the head of the state said.
Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan