Government proposes to control passenger transportation via register, access to orders, video recording

The Belarusian Government – with the participation of the State Control Committee and the State Security Committee – has prepared a draft decree regulating the relations in the field of road passenger transportation. The main proposals of the document were presented by Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Sivak at a meeting with President Aleksandr Lukashenko on passenger transportation issues.

According to the Deputy PM, the document was prepared with the aim of establishing order in the area of passenger transportation, “It envisages the creation of a state register of passenger transportation that will include information about carriers, transport vehicles (buses, cars and taxis), as well as drivers and dispatchers. This is a complete list. The register will include not only the company, but also the transport used.”

Thus, if the conditional bus was operated in violation, the company won’t be able to re-register and operate it under a different name.

Moreover, legal entities are required to provide government agencies with free round-the-clock access to completed orders and to transfer orders for transportation only to carriers whose information is included in the register.

“In order to reduce the import of services and reduce the risk of leakage of citizens’ personal data, the decree established the right of foreign companies to provide the services of a passenger transportation dispatcher in irregular traffic (taxi dispatcher) only if they set up a legal entity on the territory of Belarus, as well as the obligation for entities to use in their activities information systems and resources located in Belarus,” explained Anatoly Sivak.

With an aim to increase the level of safety, carriers are required to video record passenger transportation. The decree also provides mechanisms for suspension and exclusion from the register for unscrupulous carriers.