UBER, Bolt, Clever have been in an uncertain situation for several weeks, with over 150 drivers fined due to the emergency ordinance that came into force in mid-May. That emergency ordinance partially blocked the activity of UBER, Bolt, Clever Taxi in several cities in the country, but the Romanian Government has a new plan to modify the way these services are regulated, and to allow them to operate with some legality .
The Romanian government announced that next week the draft of the new emergency ordinance will be sent to the Economic and Social Council for approval, and then the ordinance will be adopted with the changes requested by UBER, Bolt, Clever. According to those from the Romanian Government, the new emergency ordinance would be adopted next week, but the entry into force depends on the moment chosen by the initiators, so it remains to be seen when this will happen.
The Romanian Government has a New Plan for UBER, Bolt, Clever
UBER, Bolt, Clever did not receive this ordinance earlier because not all the ministries that have to give their approvals for the adoption of the emergency ordinance have done so, so the process is delayed. Of course, the taxi drivers were angry and demanded the withdrawal of the emergency ordinance, but UBER, Bolt, Clever will still have a share of it, because ridesharing services should not be banned, but only regulated to be done in full legality.
Taking into account the new trends and practices in the taxi and chauffeured transport market, respectively the technological development, especially of applications that work through smart mobile phones, has led to the emergence of new transport services that allow the more efficient use of the already existing cars, which, although they are used by approximately 1 million people in Romania, do not benefit from a strictly regulated framework, unlike other countries in the European Union.
Of course, the taxi drivers make all kinds of threats against UBER, Bolt, Clever, and they will probably end up blocking Piata Victoriei in Bucharest again after the emergency ordinance is adopted. Despite their opposition, the Romanian Government is determined to adopt the legal framework in which ridesharing companies can operate, and taxi drivers will return to the situation of more than a month ago, when they were fighting with UBER, Bolt, Clever, everywhere.
UBER, Bolt, Clever still work in Romania, even if they have at least halved the number of drivers for now, but from next week, or maybe from July, things should return to normal.
