Response to interpellation 2022/23:416 on a safer taxi industry
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns a safer taxi industry and the deficiencies in the authorities' handling of the revocation of taxi driver licenses. KD assumes that the authorities will follow up and quality-assure their processes, but does not intend to initiate a comprehensive review 1. KD argues that Transportstyrelsen has improved its work and shortened its processing times 1. S considers that the government has done nothing significant and that it is unacceptable that it can take 200 days to revoke licenses. S argues that app companies lack employment interviews and checks of criminal records 2. S considers that the minister abdicates from his responsibility by shifting the responsibility onto authorities 2.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Kadir Kasirga has asked me what measures I have taken since SVT Nyheter's reporting last year and whether I will propose a comprehensive review of the taxi industry to address the problems in the industry.
I answered a similar question from Kadir Kasirga on December 21 last year. I wrote in my answer then that I assume that the relevant authorities – Transportstyrelsen, Polismyndigheten, and Åklagarmyndigheten – follow up and quality assure their processes regarding the revocation of taxi driver licenses. When it comes to the question of a comprehensive review of the taxi industry, I do not, at this point in time, intend to initiate such a review, but I assume that the authorities both carry out and follow up on their part of this important work.
With that said, I want to emphasize that everyone should be able to feel safe when traveling by taxi. I therefore view very seriously the reports in the media that the processing of cases has not always functioned as intended.
That some taxi companies do not follow the rules is unacceptable, partly because it creates uneven competitive conditions compared to companies that behave. It also negatively affects the situation for drivers and customers.
A taxi driver's license shall be revoked by the Transport Agency if the holder has shown themselves unsuitable to serve as a driver in taxi traffic through a criminal act or due to other misconduct. If a taxi driver's license is revoked due to a criminal act or other misconduct, a period of at least three and at most five years shall be determined during which the person under review shall be considered unsuitable to hold a taxi driver's license.
The Transport Agency states that the agency has improved its work in this regard and this year has succeeded in significantly shortening its processing times. The agency has, for example, recalled the vast majority of taxi driver licenses within 30 days from the day the agency became aware that a holder of the license has committed a sexual offense. The Transport Agency becomes aware of these cases either early in the process or when the judgment has become final or has been appealed. I assume that the Transport Agency, together with the Police Authority and the Prosecution Authority, will continue the improvement work to further shorten the lead times. I will follow this work closely.
Kadir Kasirga (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer to my interpellation.
The program Kalla fakta on TV4 has, in a review, revealed that taxi drivers who have committed sexual assaults in the line of duty can nevertheless continue to drive taxis. We Social Democrats find this remarkable. The review also shows that the app companies Bolt and Uber, unlike the large traditional taxi companies, do not ask for extracts from the criminal record register and do not have employment interviews, skills training, or workplace environment responsibility for those who want to drive taxis. This is serious and diminishes trust in the taxi industry. If the government does not act, this risks tarnishing an entire profession.
This is not the first time the taxi industry has been scrutinized. Last year, SVT Nyheter revealed that a taxi driver who had been convicted of several cases of rape and assault was able to continue driving a taxi by logging in with another taxi driver's identity.
We Social Democrats noted the review and submitted a written question to Infrastructure Minister Andreas Carlson regarding what measures would be taken. Unfortunately, from today's response, I can state that the government has not done anything significant to tackle the problems in the taxi industry. Instead, the Minister assumes that the responsible authorities will follow up and quality-assure their processes when it comes to the revocation of taxi driver licenses.
According to Kalla fakta's review, it can take up to 200 days for the Transport Agency to revoke taxi driver licenses and taxi permits. This is completely unacceptable. The government has many tools that could be used, and one of these is regulatory letters to the agencies. It is important to send a signal to the agencies that this is serious. Safety is an important issue, and one must be able to transport oneself in society in a safe and secure way. Therefore, the government needs to act and not sit passively in the back seat as it does now.
Mr. Speaker! I also have confidence in the authorities, but here it is obvious that the control is lacking because this is a recurring problem when we discuss the taxi industry. It is important that passengers feel safe when they use the taxi industry. No passenger should have to be worried about being subjected to a crime when they step into a taxi. It must be a self-evident matter.
Therefore, I simply repeat my question: How does the Minister intend to ensure that the Transport Agency handles the revocation of taxi driver licenses more quickly in cases of serious crimes?
Further: Does the Minister think that the eligibility check for professional transport, for example BKY, works as it should? There are cases where it has been discovered that drivers have driven with a false taxi driver license.
Serkan Köse (S)
Mr. Speaker! I begin by extending a big thank you to my fellow Member of Parliament Kadir Kasirga for focusing on the important issue of a safer taxi industry. It is an issue that engages me deeply.
Mr. Speaker! A cold facts review highlights in a frightening way that we have a taxi industry that for decades has been dragged down by challenges and problems that really need to be addressed. It is time that we tackle these problems to ensure order and clarity in the taxi industry for both drivers and passengers.
I am concerned that the Minister avoids answering Kadir Kasirga's concrete questions and does not comment on Kalla fakta's investigation, which clearly shows that app-based taxi services are overrepresented in the statistics on sexual offenses. This is completely unacceptable and goes far beyond being "incredibly boring," as Bolt's Sweden manager expressed it.
Mr. Speaker! The Minister's response that he assumes that the authorities both carry out and follow up on their part of this important work is far from satisfactory. When there are already documented deficiencies in the system, as Kalla's audit clearly shows, the Minister must take responsibility for proactively addressing these deficiencies. Shifting the responsibility onto authorities that have already shown deficiencies in their work is not only insufficient but also an abdication of his responsibility.
The taxi industry, as stated, faces a number of challenges, ranging from insecure working conditions to organized crime, and it requires more than reactive measures from the authorities. It requires proactive work, regulatory changes, and above all, the political will to do something about the situation.
Mr. Speaker! The consequences of a failed deregulation of the taxi industry, which began in the 90s, are becoming increasingly tangible. App-based taxi companies have ended up in a legal gray area, and I mean that it is time to create order and clarity in the industry. Particularly alarming are these companies' deficient employment processes. They conduct neither employment interviews, training, nor checks of criminal record registers, which Kalla's audit also clearly showed. This nonchalance regarding basic safety is completely unacceptable.
Mr. Speaker! In view of this, I have two questions for the Minister. Firstly: Given Kalla faktas review, does the Minister intend to take any measures to strengthen the authorities' ability to monitor and regulate app-based taxi services? Secondly: Does the Minister intend to take any measures to address the obvious problems in the taxi industry, including deficient employment processes and the legal gray area surrounding these services?
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.