Georgia: Taxi drivers protest new regulations in Tbilisi April 12

Event

Taxi drivers staged a demonstration in Tbilisi on Friday, April 12, to demand that authorities cancel or postpone the implementation of new regulations affecting taxis, primarily the mandate requiring all taxis be painted white. The new regulations are currently slated to enter into effect on October 1. According to local sources, demonstrators gathered at the Agrarian University in the Digomi District and drove to the residence of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of the Georgian Dream Party. According to Labor Party leaders, who attended the demonstration, taxi drivers will launch ongoing protests if officials do not satisfy their demands within two days. Further protests, and associated transportation disruptions, are possible in the capital in the near term.

Context

A similar protest took place on March 20, when over 100 taxi drivers blocked Tbilisi's central Rustaveli Avenue on foot and in their cars to protest the new taxi regulations. Drivers demanded the government either cancel the new rules or postpone their enforcement until 2025.

Advice

Individuals in Georgia, particularly in Tbilisi, are advised to monitor the situation and anticipate potential transportation disruptions in the coming days, including disruptions to taxi services and increased congestion on alternative modes of transportation during protest actions.