Representatives of taxi drivers from Zeta, along with the management of the Airport of Montenegro and the Ministry of Transport, have come to a consensus that taxi services should be regulated without the need for a tender, by allocating parking spaces to interested drivers from Zeta.

This information is conveyed in a statement from taxi drivers, signed by Vasilije Maraš.

“We discussed this matter with Nikola Veljović from the Ministry of Transport, who mentioned that he received verbal approval for the proposal from Zeta taxi drivers during a meeting with the Executive Director of the Airport of Montenegro, Roko Tolić, and the Mayor of Zeta, Mihailo Asanović,” he explained.

The proposal, as he described, allows all taxi drivers wishing to pick up passengers from the airport to do so by purchasing daily or monthly parking permits in front of Podgorica Airport.

The plan also suggests increasing the number of parking spots for taxi drivers from the current 24 to 50.

Currently, the existing arrangement permits only 24 taxi vehicles to serve airport passengers—two associations with one having 10 vehicles and the other 14—as he notes, which is inadequate given the volume of flights and passengers handled by Podgorica Airport.

“To combat the grey economy (illegal taxi services) and to ensure that there are always enough vehicles available for passenger transport at the airport, it’s essential to increase the number of spots for licensed taxi operators. Hence, we believe that the existing model, similar to those at Belgrade and Dubrovnik airports (where daily or monthly parking permits can be purchased), represents an appropriate solution for this issue in Montenegro as well,” adds Maraš.

He reassures that “this model is acceptable to both the relevant Ministry and the Director of the Airport of Montenegro,” and expresses optimism that there is no reason why this solution should not be implemented promptly.

“Another aspect supporting the push for such a solution is the financial analysis for the Airports; with this new model, the company would collect approximately 100,000 euros more annually from taxi operators compared to before. The Airports of Montenegro have generated just over 100,000 euros in revenue from taxi operators annually, and with our proposed solution, that figure could increase to over 200,000 euros annually,” he stated.

To ensure this solution’s effectiveness, he emphasizes, “it is crucial to avoid a monopoly over taxi transport” at Podgorica Airport.

“This implies that not only vehicles from the two companies will be operating at the Airport, but that all taxi drivers from Zeta should have equal rights and opportunities to utilize their municipality’s resources. We, the representatives of taxi drivers at Podgorica Airport, urge the Airports of Montenegro to urgently consider our proposal and invite us for a meeting to collaboratively identify the best solutions for both parties,” the statement concludes.

News