In the conflict with Alderman Traffic Sharon Dijksma (PvdA), the Amsterdam taxi organizations TAT ​​and Taxistad can order penalties for more than 80.000 euros. Dijksma tries to force them to impose severe sanctions on their drivers. The two street taxis organizations disagree.

Amsterdam street taxis must comply with strict rules that are strictly enforced. Violations are punishable by suspensions of a week or a month, or even a professional ban.

As of July 15, 2019, the policy has been relaxed. The taxi organizations no longer have to impose suspensions for minor traffic violations. In order to reduce legal inequality with other taxi drivers in Amsterdam, street taxis have since received only a traffic fine.

However, Alderman Dijksma wants TAT ​​and Taxistad to punish a group of about thirty taxi drivers - who committed a traffic offense before July 15 - according to the now outdated policy. She threatens with periodic penalty payments that have meanwhile risen to a total of 80.000 euros. 

“The alderman has recognized with her policy change that these penalties are completely disproportionate. We therefore refuse to make taxi drivers breadless because they happened to commit their traffic offense before July 15, 2019. If we follow up on the behavior of the alderman, this group of taxi drivers will be at home unemployed at Christmas. They also have to pay the rent and support their families. Other taxi drivers are fined € 90, but my people have to sit at home with no income for a week or a month or even lose their job for the exact same offense! I did not expect this from a PvdA councilor, ”said Ruud Lagerwaard, director of TAT.

The taxi organizations and the municipality have already been brought to justice three times in this conflict. City councilor Numan Yilmaz of DENK will raise this issue with the councilor.

Also read: Amsterdam TAT and Taxistad again in court