Installment|Until now, the information about the rides has gone to the taxman and the authorities from the platform companies. “Traditional” taxi entrepreneurs think the reform is good.
The summary is made by artificial intelligence and checked by a human.
Mikael Uusivuori, the Finnish country manager of the taxi company Bolt, says that the government’s meter compulsion for taxis driven by the government is pointless, because the companies already report all ride data to the authorities.
The meter obligation burdens taxi operators with meters that cost one thousand or two thousand euros.
Uusivuori estimates that the mandatory meter can increase the prices of taxi rides, as has happened in neighboring countries.
Taxis Mandatory meter reading does not increase the safety of taxis and does not reduce the gray economy at all, says the Finnish country manager of the taxi company Bolt Mikael Uusivuori.
According to Uusivuori, Bolt and other taxi companies that provide taxi rides through applications already report each ride to Traficom and the income received by the entrepreneurs to the taxman annually.
That is why, according to him, the taxi meter compulsion justified by reducing the gray economy and safety is completely unfounded.
Government parties reached an agreement on Friday about the taxi meter exemption for taxis driven by basic Finns. In the political cow trade, the coalition and Rkp got a relaxation of the distance regulation of wind turbines in exchange for the meter requirement for all taxis.
“Already in the current law there is a meter requirement for those rides where a fixed price is not agreed in advance,” says Uusivuori.
According to him, the meter requirement does not affect the operation of Bolt’s brokerage center itself or the cost structure in any way. Drivers are self-employed, so the cost of getting a meter and a taxi sign burdens them.
Activities continues unchanged even after meter escape.
“They will also have double the work when they have to ensure that the rides are also recorded on the meter. Now we have taken care of the reporting for them.”
Uusivuorta is surprised that there has not been at least a published impact assessment of the effects of the reform.
“We take risks. Experiences from neighboring countries where the meter is mandatory show that the prices of taxi rides are more expensive there,” says Uusivuori.
Coalition has been concerned that the cost of meters of 1,000–2,000 euros will increase the prices of taxi rides.
Bolt’s application already prices the ride according to the distance traveled and travel time during the ordering phase. Pricing is dynamic, meaning the demand situation affects the price. The customer can choose whether to accept the price or reject the ride.
In a metered taxi, the taxi operator taps the pre-agreed price on the meter via the application. It has been possible to agree on fixed fares in the past also in so-called traditional taxis.
More traditional taxi operators who drive taxis are still satisfied with the reform. Worked as a taxi entrepreneur since 2008 Jarno Sakki believes that meter compulsion cleans up the industry.
“It’s a great thing,” says Sakki, who works under the name Laatutaksi.
Why is it a great thing?
“It makes the tax work a little more manageable and the sector simply supervised better.”
He has been a taxi entrepreneur since 2008, which means he has seen the change in the industry since the competition was liberalized in July 2018.