Nearly 280 Jordanian taxi drivers protested Monday to object to what they called unfair competition resulting from the “arbitrary licensing” of taxi offices, reported the Jordan Times newspaper.
The drivers protested for half-an-hour before they were dispersed by police peacefully.
Sources told the paper that some of the drivers were “questioned” by police about what they told reporters during their protest. No arrests were reported.
During the protest, they demanded an opportunity to meet with Minister of Interior Awad Khleifat in order to halt licensing of taxi offices in an already saturated market, said the paper.
They also asked that the government impose control and slash to nearly half the daily “fee” drivers pay to their employers to drive the cabs.
Transport ministry estimates that the number of taxis has increased from 11,000 to 14,000 in the first quarter of this year, said the paper, adding that the figure renders Jordan the third worldwide after Turkey and Greece in the ratio of taxis per capita.
According to a ministry survey, there are 690 taxi offices across the kingdom – Albawaba.com
