Iraq sets new licensing rules for mobile taxi offices

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Ministry of Transport has outlined new conditions for issuing and renewing licenses for mobile taxi offices, requiring operators to run fleets of between 50 and 100 vehicles and maintain a designated working point. Hussein Ahmed Kerbalayi, media director of the General Company for Private Transport Administration, said taxi meters or app-based fare systems are mandatory, and drivers must carry company-approved taxi signs, wear uniforms and provide 24-hour service. Vehicles attached to licensed offices must be models from the past five years and be equipped with GPS devices at the company's expense, according to the official. A licensing fee of one million Iraqi dinars and an annual renewal fee of 500,000 dinars were also set, while private individuals are barred from running their personal cars under such offices and government employees are prohibited from holding vehicle ownership in the sector. Kerbalayi said the licensing process is based on the now-dissolved Revolutionary Command Council's Resolution No. 127 of 1994 and the company's internal regulation No. 8 of 2000.