Radio “Azatlyk” (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) reports that at a special meeting of Ashgabat taxi drivers held on 6 May new working conditions were introduced.
A speed limit of 70 km/h was imposed on taxi drivers. The passenger compartment cannot accommodate more than three passengers, and women are no longer allowed to occupy the front seat next to the driver. Taxi drivers will be fined for violating these regulations.
According to taxi drivers, the new regulations make it more complicated to reach their daily target.
The news outlet also reports that measures regarding private taxi drivers have also been tightened in the capital. Apart from a car being confiscated and towed to a car pound and a subsequent fine, a driver could be arrested for 15 days.
The news outlet Turkmen News has previously reported on the ban on women to occupy the front seat in cars.
According to the radio, the ban applies not only to taxis both private and state-run – but also privately-owned vehicles.A woman must not sit next to a driver even if he is the father, brother or husband.
No more than two passengers are allowed on the back seat.
On 29 April Radio “Azatlyk” reported that women in Balkan velayat were not only barred not only from occupying a front seat next to a driver in cars (a fine of 7,000 manats could be imposed on a driver) but also from being in a car after 8 p.m.
In addition, an unofficial ban on the issuance and extension of driving licenses to women is occasionally exercised. It was last recorded in late 2020. In January 2021 the Ashgabat police resumed accepting applications for extending women’s driving licenses.
The control over the road traffic regulations was tightened after the Interior Minister Ovezdurdy Khodzhaniyazov had been dismissed at the session of the Security Council for “violating road traffic rules by Ashgabat drivers”.
During the session Prosecutor General Batyr Atdayev reported that over thirty violators had been detained and brought to justice, about two thirds of whom are friends or acquaintances of Serdar Berdymukhammedov.
Following this, the Ashgabat Road Traffic Department tightened compliance with road rules.Moreover, Ashgabat residents and drivers also received a text message urging them to observe road traffic rules.
At the Cabinet session held on 5 May President Serdar Berdymukhammedov charged the newly-appointed Interior Minister to “remedy the shortcomings in the compliance with road safety rules within the shortest timeframe”.
Since early April the authorities have unofficially tightened control over women’s appearance and moral image.
According to independent media outlets, women are barred from using botox injections and dying their eyebrows.State-run news outlets report that the regions and the capital hold awareness raising and propaganda events for girls and women, devoted to Turkmen national traditions, family values as well as ethical standards and upbringing.
The post Turkmen taxi drivers and vehicle owners barred from offering front seats to women first appeared on Chronicles of Turkmenistan.