AZE.US
Some taxi drivers in Azerbaijan are reportedly registering with two different operators after passing the required exam, then selling or transferring one of their accounts to another person.
The Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency has identified such cases through electronic monitoring. If orders are completed at the same time from different locations on two platforms registered under the same driver’s name, authorities may conclude that one of the accounts is being used by someone else.
Drivers found violating the rules can have their activity blocked for two months.
Road traffic expert Elmaddin Muradli warned that accounts may be transferred to people who do not meet the legal requirements for working as taxi drivers, including individuals who failed to pass the mandatory exam.
“People sometimes sell a profile for 300 to 500 manats, or about $176 to $294, and think they have made a good deal,” Muradli said. “But the consequences can be far more serious.”
According to the expert, if a crime is committed by the person using the account, the official account holder could initially be held responsible.
“The owner would then have to prove that the profile had been sold or transferred and that another person was using it at the time,” he said. “It is not worth taking such a risk for 500 manats, or about $294.”
Muradli called for the creation of a centralized system bringing together data from all taxi operators. Such a database could show how many profiles are registered under one person’s identification number, vehicle registration or driver’s license.
He argued that drivers who transfer taxi accounts to others should face a permanent ban rather than a temporary suspension, saying the practice violates current legal requirements.
Muradli also warned that a person using someone else’s taxi profile could be involved in criminal activity, drug transportation or abusive behavior toward passengers. Any complaints, however, would initially be linked to the registered owner of the account.
The Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency is expected to continue identifying similar violations through electronic monitoring and applying restrictions.
AZE.US