29 January 2019 - Amendments to the Law on Road Transport of Montenegro envisage the introduction of Limousine services (rent-a-car with a driver), which will be recognized as a special type of transport which did not exist within the country so far. This announcement was published after the meeting of the Working Group that will work on with amendments to that law, the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs of Montenegro announced.
The concept of a limousine service involves the rental of limousines (limo) with the driver, and such service does not imply a pre-prepared route and departure time. The buyer of the services determines the time and place of departure, the period of use of the service, the destination and other conditions. The service provider offers a pre-determined price per hour, day or mileage.
The primary goal of the amendment to the Law on Transport in Road Traffic and its by-laws is to find new solutions that will have the strong effect on the reduction of the grey economy in the domain of public transport of passengers in road traffic. "Amendments to the laws which we are working on and announce today, will include precisely prescribed conditions for the provision of the Limousine service, as well as the conditions for the inspection bodies, which have not been defined so far", the CdM News Agency was informed by the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs .
The representatives of the Ministry of Transport also explain that taxi services which are provided by individuals (entrepreneurs) or legal entities are conditioned by the employment of the driver, i.e. by the establishment of a working relationship between the driver who operates a taxi and a specific employer. However, in the case of Limousine service, this requirement was not included in the previous Law on Tourism, which initiated the so-called “undeclared work”. Renting a vehicle with a driver was possible only by finding retired pensioners, as well as employees in other workplaces who supplemented the family budget with the extra work.
"Thanks to the convenience afforded by the previous Law on Tourism, the provision of rent-a-car services which included renting vehicles and a driver (Limousine service) was expanding rapidly, creating unfair competition and damaging licensed taxi drivers and carriers, and domestic and international transport, which has already reflected in the reduction in the number of passengers transported in road traffic in the previous period, "it is noted in the Information by the Ministry.
The Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs has been given the deadline – first quarter of 2019 – to prepare the proposal of the Amendments to Law on Road Transport.
Source: CdM News Agency
