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Fleet of illegal taxicabs in Moscow shrinks by 20,000

Most of the illegal taxicab drivers were migrants and now they have had to leave this segment

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, October 19 (Itar-Tass) - Moscow’s licensed taxicabs support program has reduced the number of illegal taxicabs in the city by 20,000 over years, Deputy Mayor Maksim Liksutov told a business meeting on Friday.

Most of the illegal taxicab drivers were migrants and now they have had to leave this segment, he said.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said “over the past eighteen months we have walked a long way - from an almost illegal market of taxicabs to the legalization of the main flows.”

“The 35,000th taxicab was registered just recently. In fact we are coming close to the target amount,” he said. “The illegal migrants did not know the city and posed real danger to passengers.”

“We believe that by the end of 2013 we shall have 40,000 legal taxicabs in the city. By the end of next year there will be 55,000 legal taxicabs. So far, 3,350 cars have been painted yellow. This is ten percent of the overall fleet. The number of taxicab stands will be increased to 460 by the end this year and their overall capacity, to 5,200 vehicles.

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