Budapest muni council votes to raise taxi fares

City

The Municipal Council of Budapest voted unanimously on Wednesday to raise regulated taxi fares in the capital from May 9, according to a report by state news wire MTI.

Council members voted to raise the base fare from HUF 700 to HUF 1,000, the distance-based fare from HUF 300 to HUF 400 per kilometer and the time-based fare from HUF 75 to HUF 100 per minute.

Deputy mayor Ambrus Kiss said the measure was the product of a compromise reached at talks initiated by cab drivers.

The one-third fare increase was justified by higher vehicle fuel prices, rising inflation, and minimum wage increases, he said in the amendment to the regulation.

Regulated cab fares in the capital have not been raised since the summer of 2018.

In a statement released ahead of the vote, Hungary's Competition Office (GVH) recommended council members weigh alternatives to a blanket fare rise and proposed setting fares only for passengers who hail a cab on the street or at a taxi stand, or replacing the set fare with a maximum fare to promote competition.

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