New Private Taxis in Cuba

[Gambitt]

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba says it will lift a nine-year ban on new private taxis, approving a dash of private enterprise on the communist-run island and potentially legalizing thousands of unauthorized cabbies who cruise its cities in classic American cars.

The move by new President Raul Castro appears to be a break with the policies of his older brother Fidel, who often made clear his dislike of even the legal private cabs, while accusing illegal drivers of fomenting a black market for stolen gasoline.

State radio reported Tuesday that Transportation Minister Jorge Luis Sierra told a parliamentary commission that officials would soon begin authorizing new private taxis.

Radio Rebelde did not say how many licenses would be issued or when.

Dissident economist Oscar Espinosa Chepe said the initiative is a pragmatic decision, recognizing that illegal taxis outnumber licensed ones in large cities.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-07-09-cuba_N.htm