The Independent Trade Union of Taxi Drivers was established in Kyrgyzstan. The Chairman of the Trade Union of Builders Eldiyar Karachalov told at a press conference.
According to him, the market of taxi services in the country is not regulated by anyone. «This has led to the fact that the aggregator has actually become a monopolist, at its discretion it can bring down tariffs, unreasonably overstate the cost for passengers and the percentage of service fee for drivers,» Eldiyar Karachalov said.
He noted that this policy of the company does not suit drivers and leads to discontent among passengers. «At the same time, the fee set by the monopolist- aggregator has been growing almost monthly lately, regardless of the opinion of the drivers themselves. This is the result of legal uncertainty in the relationship between the taxi driver and the aggregator, which creates a variety of risks, including in the field of road safety, compliance with the rights of consumers and drivers,» Eldiyar Karachalov said.
«At the same time, the monopolist-aggregator is not a transport company, taxi company or even a dispatcher service, and without providing transportation services, dictates its own tariffs, which have become burdensome for drivers and worsen their working conditions,» the head of the Builders’ Trade Union added.
In this regard, according to the Trade Union, there is a need to use legal mechanisms of state regulation in this area in the form of licensing taxi services and others.
The Trade Union of Taxi Drivers was formed on March 16 to create an enabling environment for taxi drivers to defend their labor rights. Ruslan Zhakypbekov became the head of the association.
«The main focus will be the provision of free legal assistance in the field of labor rights, as drivers are exposed to various violations by actual employers, who consider themselves to be just companies that provide information services for interaction between taxi drivers — self-employed entrepreneurs and passengers, using a digital platform. We will fight against unreasonable «dismissals» of drivers in the form of blocking their accounts in taxi services and fines, as well as unregulated safety policy for drivers and their passengers,» Ruslan Zhakypbekov, Chairman of the Taxi Drivers’ Union told.
