OREANDA-NEWS. August 16, 2011. Fair Taxi, the public campaign of evaluation of taxi services launched by Vilnius International Airport (VIA), is already reaping the first fruits: The passenger feedback has been delivered to the Municipality of Vilnius City and Vilnius County State Tax Inspectorate, reported the press-centre of Vilnius Airport.

“Until now we used to receive a large part of complaints of passengers dissatisfied with taxi services in the form of rumours. The unfair conduct of certain taxi drivers in respect of passengers has gradually shaped a negative public opinion on taxi services in Vilnius Airport,” VIA Managing Director Tomas Vaisvila says. “Thanks to the campaign which enables our direct address to passengers, we have the opportunity to receive official feedback and to produce an adequate reaction.”

The passengers are invited to leave their feedback on the ride from/to Vilnius Airport by a taxicab on the website www.vno.lt/taxi which has been in operation for several weeks already. Taxi companies are also invited to contribute to the campaign by attaching the stickers with a link to the website for service evaluation.

According to Tomas Vaisvila, none of taxi companies has contributed to the campaign to this day. Nevertheless, various foreign companies, including the chambers of commerce in Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, have expressed their sincere support: “the companies working with foreign clients find the problem of communication with Vilnius Airport particularly relevant because the guests of Lithuania are the primary target of unfair conduct of taxi drivers.”

The first responses received from taxi passengers in the course of the campaign have already been passed over for consideration to the Traffic Organisation Division of Vilnius City Municipality and Vilnius County State Tax Inspectorate (Vilnius County STI).

“By supporting the initiative of Vilnius Airport and creating the conditions for passengers to report on infringements in a variety of ways, we are hoping to achieve results in the fight against non-transparent activities of taxi operators and to promote active citizenship in the society,” says Rolandas Puncevicius, head of the Passenger Carriage and Taxi campaign launched by the STI. According to him, appropriate actions will be taken upon the analysis of all the complaints of passengers accompanied by documentary evidence received from the airport.

Vilnius Airport expects to continue the Fair Taxi campaign until the end of the year. The initiative is expected to bring positive contributions to the market of taxi services and to enhance the image of the capital of Lithuania.