“Zvartnots” has set up new procedure

MPs and defenders of customer interests say that the procedure is illegal and sets unequal conditions of competition

Since the new terminal of “Zvartnots” International Airport has been exploited, besides cars of two taxi services licensed by the airport, “Aero” and “Taxi Tour”, parking other taxis was forbidden. Self-employed taxi drivers, in particular, have been protesting at the airport, demanding of the airport management to guarantee equal opportunities. Taxi drivers said during a conversation with “Aravot” yesterday that dispatchers of the taxi services that had won the competition held by the airport and had gotten additional license  didn’t even allow them to approach the newly arrived. The airport management claims on the other hand that the taxi services’ and self-employed taxi drivers’ right of taxi service is not violated by this innovation. “There is free parking only 60 meters away, where any taxi can park, as well as fixed-run taxis, we have paid parking place 20 meters away, where other taxis can park for as long as they want. Only one line is provided to the airport taxis, for the service of which the airport is responsible”, said Gevorg Abrahamyan, the press-secretary of “Zvartnots” Airport. According to the airport officers, they, as opposed to self-employed taxi drivers try to provide high-quality service to the visitors and citizens coming to Armenia, because they were the people who were displeased with taxi drivers that “attacked” them as soon as they arrived. This observation is certainly correct, not to mention that in these cases a passenger must bargain about the price for some time before getting in the taxi. However, it turns out that the prices of the taxi services licensed by the airport are not lower than the self-employed ones’, but the difference is that if a passenger may bargain with a self-employed taxi driver, in the case of airport taxis the high price, 3000 drams from the airport to downtown Yerevan, is fixed and written on a signboard in parking place of the taxis. It is hard to say how beneficial this is for the people who arrive in Yerevan. But the people that defend the rights of consumers and the Heritage Party MPs do not stress this. They think that this initiative is illegal, anti-constitutional and tends to create unequal conditions of competition.
NGOs applied to the Cabinet and Heritage Party MP Armen Martirosyan concerning this issue. Yesterday the latter and MP Larisa Alaverdyan met with the taxi drivers protesting once again at “Zvartnots” Airport and the supporters of the airport’s initiative. L. Alaverdyan is confident that the management of the airport has set unequal conditions for both consumer and taxi driver. “It is clear that they have signed a contract with two companies; it is the airport’s right, but they have no right to restrain the right and opportunity of other taxi drivers that have gotten the same license provided by the government on equal conditions for everyone and provide the same service. If the state has a licensing procedure, it means that all licensed have equal rights. We don’t say anything else. It turns out that this part of the airport is a monopolized area; that is the problem. The idea of competition and getting license, as a whole, degenerates, even if it was lawful. When a taxi service or a person gets a license from the government, they have equal rights, despite the tender results. If the winner of this competition gets an advantage, it is unequal conditions”, said Alaverdyan during a conversation with “Aravot”. She said that according to the current legislation, the licensed taxi drivers can have equal rights in their activities and in providing service, and the management of the airport has no right to forbid or to restrain other taxi services from providing service in a certain area. According to the MP, it is illegal what the management of the airport does, “According to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, restraints may be inflicted exceptionally by the law and that’s it.” By the way, Article 33.1 of the Armenian Constitution reads, “Everyone has the right to do business not prohibited by the law. Abusing advantageous position in the market and unfair competition are prohibited. Restraining possible types and legitimate sizes of monopoly can be provided for only by the law, if it is necessary for protecting the public interest.”