MPs to pay for transport on private carriers

A court in Prague ruled on Wednesday that members of both chambers of the Czech parliament have to pay fares for privately-owned transport services. Until now, all MPs and senators were entitled to free rides on public transport by the law. The court ruling was passed in a case of a private transport service suing the Czech Republic for having to transport two parliamentarians – Josef Zieleniec and Igor Petrov - from Prague to Brno. The show-case ride was set up last year by the two politicians and the transport company owner so that the regulation on free MP rides could be contested before court. According to Josef Zieleniec, the current rule of free rides is absurd and interferes with property rights.