From August 8th, taxi drivers will write the double designation of their fares only on the stickers on the windows. The cash registers will not be replaced until January 1st, 2026.
The new software with the euro conversion is not yet ready, and the industry is worried whether it will be ready on time and how much the replacement will cost them.
Around 30 thousand taxi cars must replace their cash registers with new ones, on whose displays from January 1st, customers will also see prices in euros. However, the two manufacturers in the country are not ready yet, said Snezhana Nikova - chairwoman of the Branch Organization of Taxi Drivers and Carriers in Bulgaria.
"It's a big mess right now. We will only replace the stickers on the windows where the tariffs are written and they will be in leva and euros. But there is no readiness for the cash registers. The two manufacturers in Sofia and Silistra are not yet ready with the new software and the new prices. And whoever has not replaced the device after January 1 will have to stop operating".
According to calculations in the industry, the entire replacement of the devices will cost about 1,000 leva per car. The amount includes the price of the device, technical adjustments and metrology. However, the process should start sooner in order to complete these stages of the replacement, say taxi drivers.
They, along with gas stations, are exempted until the end of the year from displaying the double price indication on devices and columns.
When asked how drivers will manage with change, Nikova replied:
"This is worrying, because we have to go around with two coins. It will probably end up being rounded up. I hope my colleagues are conscientious, up to 50 is normal, over 50 should be rounded up. Because we cannot return in euro cents when we don't have them".
After January 1, taxi receipts will only be issued in euros.