Mass fight of taxi drivers in Minsk (Photo)

• 8.02.2012, 11:47

A showdown involving Minsk taxi drivers took place yesterday near Kamennaya Horka metro station.

Readers of TUT.by website report details of the incident.

“At 10:30 pm, taxi cars from the 7788 taxi service began to stop in the second lane (about 6-8 cars) and on the dividing strip (about 20 cabs). Drivers and passengers (who were evidently their colleagues) got out of the cars, surrounded two ordinary cars and one or two taxi cabs standing near the curb close to the metro exit. The latter tried to drive away, but taxi drivers were banging on the cars, wheels and so on. It seems they pulled one of the drivers out of the car,” reader Syarhei says.

Another reader claims she saw similar situations in the district several times: “Once I was returning home and saw taxi drivers with lug wrenches running out of cars and “asking” other taxi drivers, who stood on their places, to go out. It was a big fight. Awful. People on the bus stop tried to set them apart, but who can persuade angry taxi drivers with lug wrenches to solve the issue in a peaceful way.”

Readers think it was a fight between “taxi drivers and unofficial taxi drivers, who usually stand there”.

The taxi trade union “Sadruzhnasts” does not know yet what the reason for the conflict was. But trade union representatives have recently talked about unhealthy atmosphere among professional cab drivers. Natallya Damashevich compared it with the turbulent 1990s.

“Illegal cab drivers work near restrains and clubs. If you install a hidden camera, you will see how illegal taxi drivers steal clients. Sometimes it looks funny – illegal cab drivers pull a passenger into the car almost by force and then offer unreal prices.”