Starting January 2025, alternative and contractual taxi services in the Czech Republic will no longer be subject to price regulation. However, this change will not affect conventional taxis equipped with taximeters. The Ministry of Finance justified the decision based on market observations showing that alternative and contractual taxi companies already offer lower prices than those prescribed by regulation.
For conventional taxis, the final price is determined based on the distance measured by the taximeter. In contrast, customers of alternative taxi companies, such as Uber or Bolt, are informed of the final price at the time of booking via a mobile app. With contractual taxis, the price is set in advance in the contract.
“Alternative taxis already operate at prices that are significantly lower than the regulated prices in standard operations,” Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura (ODS) told ČT24, adding, “We assume that there will be no price increases following the abolition of price regulation for alternative and contractual taxi services due to strong competition.”
The new regulation will come into force on January 1, 2025. However, the Ministry emphasizes that it will continue to monitor developments and will be prepared to reintroduce the regulation of alternative and contractual taxi services if necessary.
The Ministry of Finance authorizes municipalities to regulate prices for taxi services within their territory. According to the Ministry, only Prague and Brno currently utilize this option.
