Only 'quality taxi' at Amsterdam Central Station

Starting March 1 2008, only 'quality taxis' are allowed to use the taxi rank in front of the Central Station in Amsterdam.

Taxi drivers who want to pick up passengers at Central Station will need a special license.
One of the most important requirements will be that short rides can no longer be refused. This is a big problem at the moment: taxi drivers tend to refuse short rides as it is difficult to get a waiting place at the Central Station taxi stand. Arriving tourists, who want to be brought to their hotels in the inner city, suffer from this.

The Amsterdam city government no longer accepts this, as it notes that particularly the Central Station taxi rank is a first experience with Amsterdam.

Taxis can no longer be older than 6 years, and they need a TX quality trademark. The TX-keur is the official quality trademark in the Dutch taxi industry. It stands for comfort, safety and reliability. Taxis that comply with the trademark can be recognized by the logo below.

Another requirement is that taxi drivers passed a street knowledge test.

The measure is a renewed attempt to improve the quality of service of the taxi drivers at the Central Station. So far, all previous attempts failed.