In Uzbekistan, individuals will be allowed to work as self-employed taxi drivers on a permanent basis.

Additionally, a market for convenient information services for finding taxi passengers has emerged in the country. Currently, there are 151 aggregator companies operating. The number of such companies continues to grow. In light of this, Uzbekistan plans to regulate the activities of aggregators and clearly define their obligations to the state, drivers, and passengers.

This was discussed during a presentation on measures for the further development of the transport and logistics system, which President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was briefed on January 11, reports the press service of the head of state.

It was noted that the current geopolitical situation in the world creates challenges in the field of international transportation. Delivery times for cargo in the western direction have doubled, and costs have increased by 1.5 times. Some border crossing points in European countries are closed, while others have long queues.

In this context, the necessity of a consistent development of the transport and logistics system and the diversification of foreign trade directions was emphasized.

Specifically, the need to take measures to simplify and facilitate transit cargo transportation through countries located along alternative routes to international and regional markets was mentioned, as well as the reduction or mutual cancellation of fees charged at the border.

In Uzbekistan, the majority of freight forwarding services, which connect shippers and carriers, are provided by foreign companies. To support domestic freight forwarders, VAT will no longer be charged on their services in the field of international transportation. As a result, there will be an opportunity to increase the share of local companies in this sector to 45-50 percent.

The goal has been set to double the volume of international freight transportation and increase the export of transport services to $3 billion through these measures.

Equally important is to increase the volume of transit transportation through Uzbekistan. Thanks to the conditions being created in recent years, the country is rising in the World Bank's logistics index. Alongside the growth of transit potential, this contributes to an increase in investment inflows and the development of trade and economic ties in general.

Responsible agencies have been tasked with increasing cargo flows from abroad by implementing an electronic queue system, reducing border crossing time to 20 minutes, and introducing online monitoring of vehicles.