Debate about new call taxis, app and costs
Traffic
The country wants to support more minibuses that cover public transport better in the future. There are debates about the sometimes high costs. Call taxis, which guests can request by telephone, have so far been available in Wals (Flachgau), Werfenweng, Werfen and Pfarrwerfen (all in Pongau).
In Wals, the call taxis cost the public sector more than half a million euros a year. The users are mainly elderly people.
The offer is well received and has proven itself, says Joachim Maislinger, mayor of the community (ÖVP), which is populated by many companies and therefore blessed with tax revenue.
Mobile app doesn’t just have friends
Politicians in other communities have looked at the Walser model. It was not accepted because of the cost. Mayor Maislinger is not convinced of Wals by a mobile phone app that the state’s transport department now wants to introduce under his party colleague Stefan Schnöll. As the main users of call taxis, seniors would prefer to use the classic telephone.
There is also a shared call taxi in Werfenweng, Werfen and Pfarrwerfen. Werfen Mayor Hubert Stock (also ÖVP) is interested in the new mobile app for the minibuses. It is important that the citizens use it as easily as possible, says the mayor of Werfen.