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Fri, Feb 10 2012
EU anti-fraud experts ripped off by a Bulgarian taxi driver
Photo: Nadezhda Chipeva
Experts from the European Anti-Fraud Office (Olaf) became the latest victim of the unfair competition between Bulgarian taxi drivers, Bulgarian news agency Blitz said on April 3 2009.
Olaf experts arrived in Bulgaria to take part in a seminar on fighting fraud in the EU. They took a taxi from the airport to central Sofia and were presented with a bill for 102 leva (about 50 euro), Blitz said.
Suspecting that there was something odd about the bill, Olaf experts complained to their host in Bulgaria, the Prosecutor-General's Office, which then did a check on the taxi company, OK Superchance.
The check showed that the bill was correct, and that the company had stated the price of 8.60 leva a kilometre.
By contrast, OK Supertrans, one of two companies contracted to service the airport, charges about 0.60 leva a kilometre.
The problem is that Sofia Airport is having a hard time curtailing the influx of taxicabs that prowl terminals, picking up eagerly departing passengers. Their logos stencilled on the car doors closely resemble that of OK Supertrans, as is the case with OK Superchance.
The fare is normally indicated on stickers on the lower right corner of the windscreen and the lower left corner of the rear door window. Often, new arrivals at the airport see the OK sign, which has been recommended to them by friends and family as reliable, and end up paying hundreds of leva for a distance that costs three and sometimes four times less.
It was because of this that the airport decided to contract companies to serve its two terminals. It also imposed a restriction on parking in front of terminals and on cars from other than the two selected taxi companies to wait outside the terminals.
The problem is that the airport management cannot do anything about taxi drivers who are simply passing by and pick up customers.
The other thing is that these highly priced taxicabs are licensed, have openly and officially declared fares and operate on legal grounds. The law sets no limit to how expensive taxi fares can be.
The OK Supertrans company which services the airport and has been on the market since 1993 has filed and won a number of court cases against companies mimicking its logo. The Commission for Protection of Competition has been imposing fines of hundreds of thousands of leva one after another, but as it seems from the Olaf experience, little has changed.
In October 2008, David Hammerstein, Spanish member of the European Parliament for the European Greens, was charged 105 leva by a taxi driver in Sofia for the distance between Sofia airport and the Government building in central Sofia.
"My first impression of the country was the 105 leva I was charged by the taxi driver and the dubious receipt I got at the end," he told reporters. When Hammerstein asked Bulgaria's Transport Minister Petar Moutafchiev about the issue, the response he got was that nothing could be done.
Olaf experts arrived in Bulgaria to take part in a seminar on fighting fraud in the EU. They took a taxi from the airport to central Sofia and were presented with a bill for 102 leva (about 50 euro), Blitz said.
Suspecting that there was something odd about the bill, Olaf experts complained to their host in Bulgaria, the Prosecutor-General's Office, which then did a check on the taxi company, OK Superchance.
The check showed that the bill was correct, and that the company had stated the price of 8.60 leva a kilometre.
By contrast, OK Supertrans, one of two companies contracted to service the airport, charges about 0.60 leva a kilometre.
The problem is that Sofia Airport is having a hard time curtailing the influx of taxicabs that prowl terminals, picking up eagerly departing passengers. Their logos stencilled on the car doors closely resemble that of OK Supertrans, as is the case with OK Superchance.
The fare is normally indicated on stickers on the lower right corner of the windscreen and the lower left corner of the rear door window. Often, new arrivals at the airport see the OK sign, which has been recommended to them by friends and family as reliable, and end up paying hundreds of leva for a distance that costs three and sometimes four times less.
It was because of this that the airport decided to contract companies to serve its two terminals. It also imposed a restriction on parking in front of terminals and on cars from other than the two selected taxi companies to wait outside the terminals.
The problem is that the airport management cannot do anything about taxi drivers who are simply passing by and pick up customers.
The other thing is that these highly priced taxicabs are licensed, have openly and officially declared fares and operate on legal grounds. The law sets no limit to how expensive taxi fares can be.
The OK Supertrans company which services the airport and has been on the market since 1993 has filed and won a number of court cases against companies mimicking its logo. The Commission for Protection of Competition has been imposing fines of hundreds of thousands of leva one after another, but as it seems from the Olaf experience, little has changed.
In October 2008, David Hammerstein, Spanish member of the European Parliament for the European Greens, was charged 105 leva by a taxi driver in Sofia for the distance between Sofia airport and the Government building in central Sofia.
"My first impression of the country was the 105 leva I was charged by the taxi driver and the dubious receipt I got at the end," he told reporters. When Hammerstein asked Bulgaria's Transport Minister Petar Moutafchiev about the issue, the response he got was that nothing could be done.
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Fares and fakes
Court confirms Sofia taxi company’s financial penalty for mimicking a competitor’s logo
Yellow peril
Taxi companies and state clash over unfair competition
Bulgaria to clamp down on high taxi prices
Bulgaria will impose lower ceilings on cab fares in an attempt to clamp down on the business of taxi cab drivers that prey on foreigners and careless customers.
'Tis the season to be jolly careful about taxi fees
The head of Bulgaria's National Consumer Federation has hit out at taxi drivers who exploit the festive season by charging illegally high fees, sometimes as much as double their official tariffs.
Taxi company fined 150 000 leva for copycatting rival's logo
A second fine of 150 000 leva was imposed on a Sofia based taxi company by the Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) for having a logo closely mimicking that of OK Supertrans taxi company. On November 6 2008, the CSC said that OK Supershans company was fined as a result of a complaint filed by OK Supertrans which has been on the market since 1993 and has made the OK logo a well recognisable trade mark that can often be mistaken with the one of OK Supertrans.
Member of European Parliament falls victim to Bulgarian taxi tricks
David Hammerstein, Spanish member of the European Parliament for the European Greens, was charged 105 leva by a taxi driver in Sofia for the distance between Sofia airport and the Government building in central Sofia, Hammerstein was quoted as saying by Dnevnik daily on October 30 2008. Hammerstein, together with his colleagues from the European Parliament's committee on petitions came to Bulgaria to check some of the tip-offs they had received from Bulgarian citizens, mainly about environmental issues.
The Sofia Echo on taxi troubles
Plenty of travellers have tales to tell about taxis at Sofia Airport, and fares that can turn out less than fair. While one company has the contract to provide taxi services, airport management has admitted that it cannot prevent less reputable firms exploiting the unwitting. The Sofia Echo has all the details, in its issue published on October 24 2008.
Sofia taxi firm `to sue website for a million euro'
Sofia taxi firm Taxi S Express, colloquially and better known as "1280" taxis, said in a media statement on September 26 that it intends court action against the system administrator of Bulgarian website Frog News to claim damages of a million euro for allegedly defamatory articles.
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The Sofia Echo
What do you mean Bulgaria's Transport Minister Peter Moutafchievsay's cannot do anything about these rogue taxi's!???? HE'S THE TRANSPORT MINISTER ! its part of his job, get it sorted or are you PROUD of giving a bad impression of your beautiful country ?We used an OK Supertrans Taxi late one night as he was going off home,but he agreed to take us on our journey he was a delightfil driver in thick ice & snow took us 2 hrs home & had to go 2 hrs back ,missing puting his daughter to bed,he stopped & wished her goodnight & said [...]
Read the full comment he'd see her in the morning .What a Dedicated driver to OK Supertrans We thankyou most heartily as we did on the night .THANKYOU .
i made the mistake of taking a taxi from the centre of sofia to the airport, i asked the driver how much he said no problem on meter it cost me 40 leva i was very shocked has the day before i returned ths hire car and had a taxi for 7 leva you have to be very carefull i made the mistake not to read how much it was per klm. i also new the quickest route to the airport from my hotel the taxi driver took me the long way round be very caerfull.
There is not a soul with infuence who wants to do anything about it because Bulgaria is ruled by the maffia and obviously so is Mr. Moutafchiev.
The problem is not only at the airport but also in the city in any area where you can expect people not to know the local landscape.
If would be so easy to revoke the scam taxi companies from copying the OK-logo. It would be so easy to inform (or warn) new commers with a few posters and some information boards on the airport… but [...]
Read the full comment the choose not to . Why?
I personally would be happy to pay twice the amount of a normal ride if I knew that the drivers' kids would have a better future.... but they don't. Maybe know you now understand (apart from the Millions of EU money and general corruption) what kind of things fund the BWM X6 (or equivilant) that are more common in the streets of the poorest county in the EU than anywhere else in Europe.
Erik
As an English guy who travels to Sofia every few weeks, here is my advice...Get the bus outside of the airport for 1 Lev. It drops you off right in the centre of Sofia!
We travelled to Bansko transfer from Sofia Airport and got charged 400 lev we had arrived late at night on a BA flight and had no choice. we used a company called HHB Travel on the pay back who was a lot lot less, in Bansko the few taxi drivers were exactly the same in general i think Bylgarian are big cheats and will never return to the country
This is a good example of something the government could deal with very fast but just will not, its even worse at other airports such as Varna & Bourgas. Bulgaria and its people are just born not to be trusted.
@newman: posting the same story 12+ times does not make what you say right or more sensible. it does get you banned though.
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I have also been ripped off by Bulgarian Taxi drivers, charging me 10 times the normal fare from Sofia airport to the city.I lost my temper and almost got myself arrested, I am not the crooked one, when are you going to learn the best way to increase tourism is to be honest and welcoming,I think your economy cannot aford to get the reputation of being con-men, we will not put up with it and not return, prefering to spend our money elsewhere.
yes there is a problem, and that's why it is expressed here. For all the "know it how" please look first in you own country problems, don't teel me there are no bogus taxis in you own airports, just leacea rrivals and you can see all the nigereans,pakistanis and etc waiting to ripp you off.
Yes ,there is a problem in sofia , as there is a problem an any other new eu country. What is needed is a MORE control, Trading standarts,involvment of the airport officials, sign warning customers , etc...
I can not agree to people asking for a regulated (maximum) price for a cab ride. This should be a free country where two parties should be free to sign a contract they want without governmental approval.
Of cause this requires personal responsibility. One can not lean back and refer to the government. Sure, it is inconvenient for me that - whenever I need to get a taxi - I have to check the pricing before entering the car. But being a foreigner it remains a sign of freedom and liberty in this country that the government does [...]
Read the full comment not regulate the pricing but assures that it is shown.
At the same time I agree to the people wondering that a Ministry can not do anything against misuse of a trade mark/ logo. Especially if OK Supertrans has won numbers of trials as the article says. This is the scandal. Not the fact that a clearly indicated rate has been charged.
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This is not a matter of competition or concession of Taxi from Airport. This is matter of lacking of simple mechanism in the general law and law enforcement.
In central Europe the is since the 18th century a paragraph called "profiteering" which is generally applicable, especially for private customers. Basically it means, if you pay more than double the price to vendor, compared to the market value, this is profiteering and you only have to pay market prices. This law is enforced effectively, which is anyway lacking in BG.
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The situation with the taxi's is typical of the short sightedness shown by Bulgarians. They complain about a corrupt Government, but in my experience the problem is from the very bottom of their society to the very top.
As a UK citizen living in Bulgaria who daily has to be aware of the dual pricing that goes on. My advice is simple if if doesn't have a price (in lev) on it don't buy it ! I too was fleeced 'just the once' from Nessebar to Sunny Beach unfortunately we are a trusting nation and the appearance of [...]
Read the full comment a meter gives us re-assurance sadly. Never again though the bus for just a few stotinkis lets you experience the real Bulgaria and it's lovely people.
Like it's dog and refuse issues unfortunately it will take a few generations to sort out.
To Sonia, have you ever been to or taken a taxi from Heathrow. I think you will find that the black cabs that you take at Heathrow is far more regulated and the rouge taxi drivers you will find mainly inside the terminal skulking around as they know that if they get caught doing this they might well get arrested. If there were rules and concequences such as these in Bulgaria then perhaps we would not all be here debating how to solve a simple problem.
This is a competition issue, not a fraud or corruption issue. The taxis are licensed by Sofia municipality and not the state. So why is a minister of state involved? Only because, they are OLAf officials! Would the minister take up such a case if appraoched by an ordinary traveller or citizen? They cannot find anything else, so they use this. The truth is that firms are allowed to charge different prices, just like elsewhere in the EU. This is at least the 2nd time such a story has been reported. There is plenty of information and publicity on this [...]
Read the full comment issue - information and publicity is something the EU is keen on, but obviously OLAF officials do not use such media to inform themselves. The fact is they have not been overcharged, they have just been careless in their consumer choice. But, it makes you wonder how on earth they can detect fraud and corruption when they get caught with such a simple task? I too do not like the 'bogus' OK firms and yes steps should be taken against the rogue companies. But blaming others for your own stupidity is not the answer!
And we are not suprised?And why should people be trustworthy and reliable in Bulgaria?Situations like this a pure example of why Bulgaria's reputation gets tarnished on daily basis!It is not a job for the goverment-it should be an issue for their version of trading standards-but one does not exsist!Scum!Legal but still -scum!
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I am sorry to hear that now two minister can do anything about it , it is shame! The moral of the story is we need a New government.I am fed up with the post comunist called socialist that stole and are keep stealing the bulgarian wealth.petty
kafene.net....how is april 2009 last year? You make no sense
Това не е ли от миналата година? Рециклираме новини?
I'm afraid to say it can also happen at Heathrow.
No, dual pricing has NOT disappeared. It appears in covert forms.
To Kanti, there IS an OK Supertrans desk in Arrivals where you can book your cab.
There is the regular 84 or 284 that only charges 1 lev.
If the Bulgarian transport minister reaction to this is "there is nothing we can do" I certainly question why they are in this position and how they assume they can be taken serious and how they expect to be taken serious on the world stage if they can not sort out something as simple as rouge taxi drivers at the countries main airport. Bulgarian people are mainly proud people and are very proud of thier heritage and customs but I am afraid to say the many of the people who govern them are making the people of this country look [...]
Read the full comment like fools. To the powers to be, GET A GRIP
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Only fools jump in a Bulgarian Taxi without first asking how much.If the driver says by the meter do not get in. There is a very good shuttle bus now operating from Sofia airport at 6 leva per person to any where in town centre.
Agree with the commenters who said this issue requires government control (the absurd fares) and OK Supertrans should be able to sue and win big for the logo rip-off. Bg has enough image problems without this being so many foreigners' first experience here. And I hardly know any visitor who hasn't been caught at least once by the frauds, no matter how many times they are warned.
Actually, Dianne, not only in Bulgaria ;-) Bucharest has the same problem. I love to visit Romania, but the mob of unscrupulous taxi drivers in the main terminal makes a poor first impression, as did the first taxi fare I ever paid there, in 2001--which resulted in my deciding never to take a Bucharest cab again. (To be fair, cabs in other Romanian cities seem to be OK, and I sympathize with the "good" Bucharest cab companies.)
There should be a maximum rate allowed,say 1lev per klm,or an absolute standard rate for all taxi's.
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I regularly use cabs from the airport i have learnt to look for the tariff, But Bulgaria needs to be able to combat unfair charging saying nothing can be done is not good enough especially when this is the first contact when arrving in Bulgaria, it's also nice to see the dual pricing that used to operate has now seemed to have gone advice check tarif before paying anything if it appears too much walk away get another cab.
Only in Bulgaria
Its easy, its called a trademark! If police officers see a OK superchance anywhere, you charge the driver 10 bucks for violating OK STrans's trademark. You are'nt charging for being at the aiport but for the illegal design of the taxicab.... DOINK! lol
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What is so difficult about placing a few extra cops at the airport, or are they all too busy catching corrupt politicians?
There should be a wake up call for the fraud investigator! Welcome to Bulgaria.