1 March 2010 | The arrival of ‘black cabs’ from Britain’s capital in the streets of Pristina has led established taxi drivers to call foul.

London’s trademark taxis have begun operating in Pristina – to the delight of some passengers and the dismay of certain established cabbies.

Luan Berisha launched his London Taxi service earlier this month with 15 black cabs, but other taxi drivers complain that the firm should not have received a licence to operate the vehicles.

Rumours have been swirling in Pristina that the real owner of the company is Bardhyl Sejdiu, the son of Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu, and that political connections helped secure the company's permit to operate.

And strenuous denials by Mr Berisha have not softened the position of competing taxi firms.

Gezim Babiqi, the owner of radio Taxi Roberti, told Balkan Insight: "We all know that this company is registered under the president’s son’s name, and that is why the municipality has given the firm permission to operate so quickly, while other taxi companies which have worked here for ten years aren’t allowed to expand their services."

He added that while he does not fear the competition, it is wrong for a firm to be given preferential treatment.

"We have no parking spaces for our cars, and then there are many other taxi companies which work illegally and aren't controlled by the municipality," he said. "So the municipality should first deal with these issues, and then let other companies operate."

He said that his company, like many others, had not been allowed to increase the size of its fleet because of a lack of parking, while London Taxi had been awarded permits without any problem.

Mr Berisha told Balkan Insight that it was his time spent living in London and using the famous cabs which inspired him to bring 15 back to Pristina.

He dismissed allegations of political connections as ‘pointless rumours’, saying that if his firm were connected to the president’s son, he would not hide it.

"There is no law in Kosovo that denies the son of a politician the right to open a private business, so I do not want to deal with these pointless rumors," he said.

"My cars are one hundred per cent produced in England, plus my vehicles can transport people with disabilities, and we meet all the conditions required for operating in Pristina," Berisha explained.

The only thing that distinguishes Berisha's cabs from those found in London is that the steering wheel has been moved to the left side. Berisha had to change the steering wheel as right-hand drive cars are not allowed in Kosovo.

Muhamet Gashi, a spokesman for the municipality of Pristina, said that the municipality gave the London Taxi company an operating permit after it met all the conditions required for circulation in public traffic.

"London Taxi received permission to operate after the commission completed its assessment and found that the company met all the required conditions. The municipality has also permitted the expansion of several other companies, so Babiqi's accusations are not accurate," Gashi said.

As for the allegation that the president's son is behind the company, Gashi said that his name was not found in any of the firm's documents.

This article is courtesy of Balkan Insight, the online publication of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, which contains analytical reports, in-depth analyses and investigations and news items from throughout the region covering major challenges of the political, social and economic transition in the Balkans.

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