From Wednesday, Prague restored the cap on metered taxis: at most 42 koruna per kilometre and 7 koruna per minute of waiting. That is the level from 1 August. A restored ceiling, not a ban on Uber. Dump Seznam Zprávy.

City hall spokesman Vít Hofman: after the cap was lifted, customers complained of disproportionately high fares. The market, on its own, had not protected them enough. The measure is in the public interest, taken without delay, after consulting the Finance Ministry. It took effect the day after the price order was published.

The magistrate cancelled the price order on 30 September, saying city leadership had decided. Deputy mayor Jaromír Beránek, of the Pirates, disputed that at the time: for almost two years the cap had been an administrative act of the taxes, fees and prices department, not a political council regulation. He said he had only asked for papers for debate. Two accounts. Do not mix them.

On 1 August the kilometre cap had risen from 36 to 42. The Taxi Drivers’ Chamber called that insufficient. Uber and Bolt sit outside this ceiling: the Finance Ministry took them out of the rules at the start of last year. Wednesday’s figure is a maximum for the meter, not a mandatory fare and not a ban on the apps.

The Czech Confederation of Commerce and Tourism welcomed the return. Spokeswoman Šárka Mrázová also asked for a public explanation of the repeal, and for more inspections. That is a trade association’s position. It is not the law.

Dump Seznam Zprávy. The rewrite rests on Seznam Zprávy and on ČTK, via ČeskéNoviny.

Image: a taxi stand on Wenceslas Square, Prague, 16 September 2015, ŠJů, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The stand, not Wednesday’s meter.

Sources consulted: V Praze opět platí cenová regulace taxislužeb s taxametrem — ČeskéNoviny/ČTK.