The taxi drivers in Brussels are protesting because they are being obliged by the government to install a new metre in their vehicles. The taxi drivers were gathered in the centre of the city, blocking the inner Brussels orbital ring.
According to the local media, 300 taxi drivers, were gathered in the centre of Brussels protesting against the imposition of the new measure by the government.
As the taxi drivers reported, the new digital meter, which will be mandatory from 2016 onwards, is very expensive as its price reaches 2,500 euros, while the European Union has already decided to release a grant of 1,000 euros for a similar measure.
The Greek president of the Association of Taxi Drivers in Brussels, Konstantinos Tsatsakis, referring to the Minister of Transport of Brussels, said to the Belgian L’Echo: “She promised that the measure will be reconsidered. We expect a press release on the suspension of the measure.”
There are many who claim that taxi drivers are reacting negatively to this measure, as the technology of the new metre will make fraud impossible; customers will receive a receipt indicating the time of embarkation and disembarkation, the cost, and the kilometers that he were covered.