PARLIAMENT VOTED FOR STRICTER PENALTIES FOR 'PRIVATE TAXIS' - WHAT CHANGES - Filenews 16/4
The tightening of the framework for dealing with illegal passenger transport was unanimously approved by the Plenary Session of the Parliament, voting on the "Regulation of Traffic Transport (Amendment) Law of 2026".
The law, which was passed based on a proposal by Nicosia MP Alekos Tryfonides, aims to more effectively combat the phenomenon of so-called "pirate taxis", through increased penalties and enhanced administrative penalties for those who transport passengers without the required road license.
On the basis of the final changes made during the debate in Parliament's Committee on Transport, Communications and Works, the Licensing Authority is able to register indictments before a court for the criminal offences provided for in the legislation.
At the same time, administrative sanctions are strengthened, as the condition of repetition of the violation for their imposition has been abolished, making it possible to impose them from the first finding. Specifically, it provides for the suspension of the category B driving license, as well as the suspension of the registration certificate of the vehicle with which the violation was committed.
In addition, the possibility of withholding or immobilizing the vehicle is introduced, while the duration of the penalties is differentiated, since they will be valid until the payment of the imposed administrative fine and not for a predetermined period of three months, as originally provided.
During the debate in the Plenary, the rapporteur of the bill, Alekos Tryfonidis, stated that the purpose is to effectively deal with the illegal transport of passengers, the so-called "pirate taxis", a phenomenon that, as he said, in recent years has taken on alarming proportions, affecting competition, legal professionals and the safety of citizens. He stressed that "we cannot close our eyes", noting that the problem could not wait and that after consultations with the competent Minister of Transport, the authorities and the professional sectors, a comprehensive proposal was submitted. He underlined that issues of proportionality and constitutionality were seriously taken into account, pointing out at the same time that, although the opinion of the Legal Service is respected, "it is not this country that governs, but the Government and the Parliament", adding that the Service should facilitate the work of the State in order to serve the citizens. As he mentioned, for this reason important amendments were made, expressing the expectation for a comprehensive bill for the taxi sector.
For his part, the individual Socialist MP Kostis Efstathiou said that the bill highlights the two main problems of the legislation in Cyprus, the main one being its implementation, stressing that the crucial issue is how the violation by the "pirate taxis" is proven. As he noted, this inability to prove is what affects professional drivers, referring to practices in other countries where simple measures have been adopted, such as restricting access to airports without a relevant license. At the same time, he expressed reservations about the proportionality of the penalties, noting that they may be deemed unconstitutional, however he stated that he will vote in favour of the proposal "to send the message that piracy must end", while pointing out his concern about the applicability of the legislation.
On the part of DISY, Dimitris Dimitriou said that piracy is a huge issue, which is due to high demand, low supply and lack of adequate control mechanisms. As he noted, the proposal does not solve the problem in its entirety and expressed doubt whether there is a holistic solution, stressing that the aim is to reduce the phenomenon and the implementation by the executive power of the study of the Licensing Authority to increase taxi licenses. Nevertheless, he said that under the circumstances the proposal is moving in the right direction and his party will vote in favour of it.
On behalf of AKEL, Valentinos Fakontis said that the phenomenon of piracy is "rampant", talking about intense unfair competition and raising the issue of the protection of legal professionals, as well as passengers. As he said, the party will support the law proposal, but expressing reservations in relation to the proportionality of the fines.
The position of DIKO MP Panikos Leonidou was also positive, who stated that his colleague's proposal moves in the right direction to crack down on taxi piracy and stated that he will support it.
