Soaring Car Prices Impede Taxi Renovation Program

The government's decades-old taxi renovation program has been hampered by rising car prices in Iran, as only 9,000 dilapidated taxis were replaced with new cars in the last Iranian year (ended March 20, 2021).
“Since the scheme was announced in 2016, car prices surged by 150% through a periodical increase, which has slowed the renovation process,” Morteza Zameni, the head of Iran Taxi Union, told YJC.
Four years ago, the government, in partnership with local banks and automakers, proposed the taxi renovation program that had some promising outcomes for cabbies despite flaws.
The plan is still being executed, he added, announcing that the union has called on the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade to do its fair share and help renovate the aging cabs.