Belarus has approved new rules for road passenger and freight transport. Prime Minister Alyaksandr Turchyn signed the relevant resolution of the Council of Ministers, the Belarusian government press service reported.
The document approves new rules for road passenger and freight transport, introduces changes to the procedure for holding tenders for the right to operate regular passenger routes, and expands the list of consolidators of exporters’ requests for rail freight transport to China.
For passenger transport, the key changes include mandatory installation of video recording systems in buses, equipping passenger seats with seat belts, and establishing the obligation for carriers to sign employment contracts with drivers. The system of travel documents and payment has also been streamlined. For taxis, the possibility of changing the payment method during a trip has been removed, and payment through electronic systems has been regulated. Cases of unjustified refusals when booking taxis and price inflation when ordering directly from a driver without using apps or a dispatcher have also been eliminated.
At the proposal of the Ministry of Education, the required driving experience for school bus drivers has been reduced from three years to one year.
For freight transport, cargo vehicles will be required to have video recording systems, satellite navigation and tarpaulins to protect roads from contamination. When transporting timber, truck bodies must be equipped with special devices to prevent cargo from shifting.
The rules for tenders for the right to operate regular passenger transport have also been changed: the composition of tender commissions has been expanded, unified criteria for evaluating proposals have been introduced, and the procedure for concluding contracts with winners has been clarified.
