The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism plans to revise the standard terms of carriage for taxis and buses, so that customer harassment can be a reason to refuse a passenger or to ask them to get out. The wording is not in the taxi terms on the ministry website. Two reports of what the ministry said give different dates.
47News reported on 15 October, from an interview with the ministry that day, that the revision is intended to take effect on 1 December. FNN Prime Online reported on 16 October that the ministry intends 1 November. SoraNews24 reported on 17 October that the change is expected before the end of the year. It cited those two reports.
What 47News was told
47News says the ministry will state that, where a passenger does not stop nuisance such as verbal abuse, the operator may refuse the boarding or ask the passenger to get out. The stated aim is to prevent harm to drivers. The report says a request to get out could meet a strong reaction, and that operators will also be expected to protect drivers.
The revision follows a labour-law amendment that took effect on 1 October. From that date, every company and local authority must take measures against customer harassment. The standard terms are a template prepared by the ministry, and an operator may adopt them as its own conditions.
The ministry told 47News that the terms will say passengers should refrain from customer harassment, and that a driver may ask a passenger to stop. Officials are still considering whether to list particular acts.
What FNN reported
FNN says the terms will allow a refusal, or a request to get out during the journey, for verbal abuse, unreasonable demands and similar nuisance. It uses the same name, customer harassment.
It says refusal has until now covered a passenger too drunk to give a destination, and a passenger carrying dangerous goods. It also says many taxi and bus companies had already applied to add a harassment clause, and that the ministry wants to support those steps.
The terms in force
The standard taxi terms on the ministry website contain no customer-harassment clause. The latest amendment listed on that copy is ministry notice 539 of 10 April 2026.
Under Article 4, an operator may refuse a hiring, or stop one, in listed cases. The list includes a passenger too drunk to state a destination clearly, or too drunk to walk without help, and a passenger carrying a blade or another item banned under the passenger-transport rules. Article 4-2 lets the driver ask a passenger to stop smoking. If the passenger carries on, the operator may refuse the hiring or end it.