In order to establish public transport that would connect Podgorica with the airport in Golubovci, it is necessary to create a legal framework, i.e. to include that line in the Rulebook on determining the minimum driving time, and then to send through the Chamber of Commerce initiatives for extraordinary harmonization of intercity timetables, with the aim of providing an opportunity for carriers that operate to enter the Podgorica airport stop.
This was officially stated by the Ministry of Transport, which he manages Maja Vukićević.
"The minimum time for amending the regulations, necessary procedures before the Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry is at least two months," the Ministry said.
And while waiting for the administrative procedures for this city line to be completed, the problem with hijacking for transport, driving with taxi vehicles with different license plates, fixed and negotiated prices, unmarked and "wild" taxi drivers and other transport chaos that has greeted passengers on Podgorica Airport is mostly resolved.
Now, in front of the terminal building, you can only find taxis with Zeta Municipality plates, taxi drivers with signs, and surprisingly regulated traffic. "Vijesti" also visited the airport in April this year, when the taxi siege was in full swing, but these days, none but carriers with Zeta license plates pick up passengers, while rare "wild" taxi drivers lure passengers into unmarked vehicles exclusively on 50 meters away from the parking lot.
The municipality of Zeta updated the fact that the airport belongs to them territorially, so according to the Road Transport Act, only taxi associations that are licensed by them and have their license plates can pick up passengers at this location.
The Municipality clarified that the former problems were reduced to a minimum after they established the Municipal Police Service and the Inspectorate, but that these services certainly have their hands full in supervising the collection of passengers at the airport. They pointed out that taxi drivers are punished in accordance with the Law on Road Traffic.
On this occasion, as the Ministry of Transport told "Vijesta", the Road Traffic Inspection has so far issued 37 misdemeanor orders, with a total value of 60.500 euros. They explained that in addition to the increased activity of the inspectors, two applications from the Municipality of Zeta for illegal boarding of passengers were handled.
In May, Airports of Montenegro (ACG) also terminated the contracts with two Podgorica taxi associations "Royal Taxi" and "Halo Taxi", because the contracts were concluded after August 16, 2022, when Zeta became an independent municipality. On September 13, ACG announced a new tender for this job, with the fact that now only taxi companies from Zeta can apply.
Termination without consequences
Executive Director of ACG Roko Tolic clarified that the option to terminate cooperation with these companies existed in the signed contracts. He told "Vijesta" that when a clear answer from the Capital City's Secretariat for Transport arrived, which stated that taxi drivers from the Podgorica area can no longer have a license to carry out departure transport from this airport, they seized on that point of the contract, which made it possible to terminate them without legal consequences.
"Although I believe that the current partner will try to seek legal remedies because they are no longer the ones doing the work. We did not hurry with the decision to call for a tender at the same time for two reasons, the first is that according to our knowledge, the vehicles available to all taxi associations in the Zeta area are not at the same level of comfort as the vehicles we had from the previous tenant. It is a kind of step back for our passengers, but it is a reality that needs to be adapted to. The second thing is that we don't want to get into a situation where we have a kind of disorder in the airport area by both legal and illegal providers of their services, and we are especially irritated by these illegal ones. We are talking about people who destroy the image of Aerodrom and Montenegro as a country, and Podgorica as a city, and our legal options are narrowed. We have tried to organize things so that traffic at rest, both incoming and outgoing, is adequately organized. We requested a modification of the traffic solution, we hired a traffic engineer to come up with this idea, we held several meetings with industry partners to offer us the latest technological solutions, ramps, cameras and everything that exists on the market today, and which has been finely implemented and in Montenegro in tourist resorts. And that was and still is the reason why all things have not been fully implemented", stated Tolić.
He added that the process of those procurements will begin when they receive an appropriate traffic solution. He also announced that he will reorganize the rent-a-car services, so that these providers will not be inside the airport building but in the parking lot behind, because they lack operational space for passengers.
Asked about the introduction of shuttle transport to the Podgorica airport, Tolić stated that they support the idea, and that they want to help it come to life, so that their employees can come to work more easily.
"Shuttle transportation is something that exists at all airports in the world, the idea is very good and fully compatible with, for now, the only organized transportation that exists to the Airport, which is a taxi. There are bus stops that have been marked for a long time and as far as ACG is concerned, we will be ready and marked so that our passengers can reach them easily. I think it should be branded, not as dry as a bus line, but as an airport shuttle, bus transportation from the airport to bigger hotels and better locations in the city. We will gladly redirect the part of the funds that we allocate to the organization of the transportation of our employees to support this line, along with providing a bus stop, and this is not a matter in which we ask for monetary compensation, but is in the interest of the comfort of our passengers and employees," he emphasized.
Zeta would lead the line
The Municipality of Zeta clarified that they have issued 50 taxi licenses, and that a good number of taxi drivers are engaged in airport driving. They pointed out that initially there were complaints about the operation of taxi carriers with different license plates, but that after the formation of the Communal Police and the Inspectorate, they decreased, and that there are almost no more.
When asked about a bus line that would connect the capital and the airport, they explained that the law does not currently allow the opening of such a line, but also that there is no such station in the Rulebook on determining the minimum driving time (remote control), which is a prerequisite that must be provided. When asked who would manage this line and how many buses would be needed for its operation, the Municipality stated that it would be managed by Zeta, i.e. the truck carrier with which they would conclude a contract, but that they certainly believe that the best solution is to fit the line into the existing intercity with Podgorica.
From the Ministry of Transport said that the Road Traffic Inspectorate daily supervises taxi transport that is carried out on the territory of the municipality that did not issue a license for that business, both on long-distance and international routes, but also that these measures were strengthened during the summer tourist season, as well as illegal transportation.
"A total of 37 misdemeanor orders were issued in the total amount of 60.500,00 euros. In addition to the increased activity of road traffic inspectors through regular controls, two reports from the Municipality of Zeta, which concern the illegal boarding of passengers in front of Podgorica Airport, were handled," said the department.
They pointed out that they had already held two meetings on the establishment of bus lines to the Podgorica airport, one of which was to inform the management of ACG and the Municipality of Zeta about the necessary procedures, while the second was held on September 4 with the Podgorica Secretariat for Transport, the company "Roads", the president Municipality of Zeta Mihailo Asanović...
They announced that ACG will send an initiative to determine the bus stop at Podgorica Airport.
"In addition to the already established taxi transportation, there is also a legal solution for the organization of shuttle transportation, which includes the transportation of passengers from the airport to registered accommodation facilities on the territory of Montenegro and vice versa, and for which it is necessary to have a contract with the airports. The Ministry will proceed with the addition of Daljinara, with the circular route (CKB Banka) - Podgorica airport. With the entry into force of the amended Daljinar, the department will submit to the Chamber of Commerce an initiative for the extraordinary harmonization of intercity timetables, with the aim of providing the opportunity for carriers operating on the route Podgorica - Zeta to enter the Podgorica airport stop. After the completion of the mentioned procedures, in accordance with the Road Transport Act, conditions will be met for certification and registration of changed or new driving schedules that will include Podgorica airport. According to the submitted initiative, Airports should determine the bus stop in order to know its characteristics in order to enter the necessary data (routes and minimum driving time) in Daljinar. The minimum time for amending the regulations, necessary procedures before the Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry is at least two months", explained the department.
The newspaper also asked for answers from the Capital City about the establishment of this line, but they did not reach the conclusion of the number.
During a visit to the Airport, one of the Zeta taxi companies told "Vijesta" that there are still wild taxi drivers, as well as taxi drivers from other municipalities who pick up passengers. They emphasized that they understand that the restrictions are a blow to the budget of Podgorica's taxi drivers who have been able to pick up passengers until now, but also that the situation is much better than before.
"A city taxi drives to Budva for 45 euros, while wild taxis charge 65, 70, 80 euros. In essence, taxi drivers from Podgorica still come on scheduled trips, and we will not go into whether Zetska Komunalna is doing its job. We are here legally, with documentation, tax returns and I can say that we are regular, we have a license from the Municipality. We are ready to compete when ACG announces a competition for taxi positions and we are 100 percent regular. It was a mess, but now the passengers are taken off regularly, there are no fights, order has been established and everything works regularly, and I think it's better. If the law changes, everyone is certainly welcome," explained the owner of this association.
Places and counters for rent
In the public invitation published by the Airports on September 13, it is stated that they are leasing a total of 24 parking spaces for taxi drivers, as well as two spaces of 1,5 square meters each in the "Podgorica" airport building, in order to set up a dispatch desk.
The rental price per space is 300 euros plus VAT, while the parking is available in two parts, 14 spaces along the main road and 10 in the bus parking lot.
The public call will last until October 4, and the decision on choosing the most favorable offer must be made no later than 21 days after that date.
"The term of the lease is 12 months from the date of signing the contract, with the possibility of extension for a period of additional 12 months. The minimum price for renting 14 parking spaces is 4.800 euros plus VAT on a monthly basis, and the minimum price for renting a parking lot with 2.800 parking spaces is XNUMX euros plus VAT on a monthly basis," the public invitation reads.
It is emphasized that everyone who is registered for the taxi-transport activity and who can provide 14 or ten vehicles of the same brand and type has the right to participate. In addition, a list of employees who would perform these tasks must be submitted, whereby their number for 14 vehicles cannot be less than 30, while for the other group it must not be less than 22. Additionally, each of them must have employment contracts with the employer.
When concluding the lease agreement, the company must also submit a bank guarantee of 15.000 euros.
"The price list of services and its changes during the duration of the contract must be finally approved by the Airport, and the Lessor will never approve unreasonably high prices for services, which may be grounds for terminating the contract," the invitation reads.
Demarcation and criminal charges
In February of this year, the municipality of Zeta filed criminal charges against the former executive director of ACG, Vladan Drašković. and the former president of the Board of Directors of this company, Eldin Dobardžić due to the conclusion of contracts with the companies "Royal Taxi" and "Halo Taxi", after Zeta became a Municipality.
At that time, they announced that they were submitting the complaint due to suspicion of abuse of official position.
"Vijesti" previously wrote that Podgorica Airport is located on cadastral plot 541/12 from real estate list 2656 KO Golubovci, so the fact is that Podgorica associations have been illegally transporting passengers since the formation of the Municipality of Zeta because they did not have a license from the competent municipality.
The application states that Drašković and Dobardžić enabled the companies "Royal Plus" and "Halo Taxi", "which have the same owner and executive director", to perform taxi transportation services from the airport, "by leasing taxi stands to them, even though these commercial According to the Law on the Transportation of Passengers in Road Traffic, companies may not do so on the territory of the Municipality of Zeta".
"Specifically, they enabled them to carry out auto-taxi transport contrary to Article 86, paragraph 3, 4 and 7", the Zeta municipality announced at the time.
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