Uber won the concession procedure entered by two bidders. The launch of the winner’s activities was originally scheduled in the spring. However, the unsuccessful tenderer filed an appeal with the Office for the Protection of Economic Competition of the Czech Republic, which made it impossible for the airport to finalise the tender process, temporarily blocking it. At the beginning of September, the Antimonopoly Office confirmed that Prague Airport had set the parameters of the concession procedure in accordance with the law, just as it performed the selection of the winning bidder, which became Uber.
“We are glad that the Antimonopoly Office confirmed Prague Airport proceeded correctly and in accordance with the law. In the concession procedure, we primarily emphasised the requirements of passengers, who above all want to know the price in advance. The new taxi service provider will provide its services under the constant control of the airport, focusing not only on the quality of the service, but also the price regulation compliance. All rides, even those outside of Prague, must adhere to the municipality’s maximum price regulation,” Jakub Puchalský, Member of the Prague Airport Board of Directors, said.
Based on the contractual conditions, the service provider is obliged to:
- Quote the final price before each ride, which will be calculated by their software. The resulting fare must not exceed the agreed price, even when changing the route or waiting in a traffic jam.
- Ensure 24/7 service availability.
- Operate a fleet of (at the maximum) up to five-year-old mainly upper middle-class vehicles.
- Work with drivers who will ensure the required quality of the service provided and traffic safety.
- Ensure the drivers have all valid permits, speak Czech, and have at least a basic knowledge of English to be able to communicate with the customer. They must also wear job appropriate attire.
- Always provide the customers with the option of contactless payments.
- Share data (route, price) regarding each ride with the airport.
