Pricing of taxi services

There is no legislation on maximum taxi fares. It is a good idea to find out about the grounds for determining the fare and the standard of the service in advance and, if possible, compare them between companies.

What is the pricing of taxi journeys based on?

Taxis have two pricing models:

• fares based on distance and time
• fixed fares stated before the journey starts. A fixed fare may be applied to journeys between two cities, for example.

If the fare is based on the distance travelled and the time taken, a taximeter must be used.

A separate initial charge and other additional charges may also be included in the fare. The taxi company must inform the passenger of such charges in advance. Among other things, there may be an additional charge for advance bookings, assisting passengers, carrying large items, a child safety seat and transporting pets.

Before the journey begins, the taxi company must inform the passenger of the fare for an example journey. This is the fare for a journey that is

• 10 kilometres in distance and
• 15 minutes in duration,
• with no additional fee based on the number of passengers or luggage.

If a taxi company applies an initial charge, it must be included in the fare for the example journey.
If the price list contains different grounds for determining the fare and the fare depends, for example, on the time of the day or the day of the week, the fare for the example journey must be given according to the most expensive rate.

If the fare for the example journey in a taxi company’s price list exceeds EUR 40, the driver must always agree on the price or the grounds for determining the price separately with the customer.

The driver must take the route that is the most inexpensive and appropriate for the passenger if the passenger lets the driver select the route, or the driver must take the route that the passenger has accepted or suggested in advance at the time of booking the taxi.

The taxi can also state in its price list that “A fixed fare can be agreed”, in which case the customer and the driver can agree on a fixed fare separately, and the taximeter is not used for determining the price.

The driver will always give you a receipt for a taxi journey, which contains the details of the taxi company and information on the fare.

Dispute over the price of a journey

If there is a dispute over whether or not you had expressly agreed on the grounds for determining the fare when the fare given as an example is exceeded, the service provider must have proof of their claim.

If the service provider cannot prove that you had expressly agreed on the fare or the grounds for determining the fare, the fare cannot exceed the EUR 40 limit set for the fare given as an example. In this case the service provider consequently cannot charge you more than EUR 40, even if the distance or the time taken is longer (more than 10 kilometres or 15 minutes).