Another organiser, Csaba Czifery, said government representatives at the talks declared they were on the side of taxi drivers. He said the taxi drivers will be represented by a delegation at next week’s talks and they expect that at least four to six weeks will be necessary to introduce effective rules.

Government office chief János Lázár told a regular press briefing that the government needs to help taxi drivers because it is a regulated market, and if the state regulates a market, it should involve protecting it. A common denominator needs to be found with the taxi drivers on how things should be regulated, he added.

The government wants everybody in Hungary to respect the law and pay taxes, plus it wants to ensure the high quality and transparency of taxi services, he said.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán asked people at the cabinet meeting whether the government members were using Uber. None said they did but the majority of younger people working for the government are Uber users, Lázár added.

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MTI photo: Balogh Zoltán