More than 1,800 taxi licenses have been issued in Cyprus, with the possibility remaining open for the issuance of new licenses, as the last time new licenses were issued was nearly 22 years ago.

Specifically, the last time new taxi usage licenses were granted was in 2002. The Licensing Authority – which is the competent authority – will proceed with a study to determine whether new licenses need to be issued or/and to improve the framework concerning taxi usage licenses.

According to a response letter from the Minister of Transport, Alexis Vafeadis, to a parliamentary question by Nikos Kettiros, there are currently 1,556 Urban Taxi Road Usage Licenses and 246 Rural Taxi Licenses, with most of these licenses recorded in Limassol.

As the Minister of Transport notes in his response letter, according to the computerized system of the Department of Road Transport, 856 natural persons hold 1,027 urban taxis and 137 legal entities hold 529 urban taxis.

Additionally, 168 natural persons hold 191 rural taxis, and 29 legal entities hold 55 rural taxis.

It is worth noting that in 2018 and 2021, the Licensing Authority granted 25 new Urban Taxi Road Usage Licenses for the transportation of persons with disabilities. These licenses pertained to modified vehicles that met specific technical specifications for the transportation of persons with disabilities. Of these, only 13 were implemented.