Big hike in taxi business delights drivers
Post-Winston FNPF scheme payout brings in more customers
Taxi drivers have seen a hike in their businesses after people received the Fiji National Provident Fund cyclone relief assistance last month. The Fiji Sun news team yesterday spoke to a few drivers along the Suva-Nausori corridor. Among them was 57-year-old Hem Raj of Bure Taxis Base in Tamavua, he said few days after the batch of cyclone relief assistance fund was released by FNPF, he had seen an increase in business. “Before I used to get around $60 to $70 a day but now I am able to get around more than $100 a day. This has also benefited us. “In a day I usually come across seven to eight passengers in a day, but now it had increased to around 20 passengers in the day. This is only from the morning till the afternoon and during the night we usually get around more than 30 passengers,” he said.
Another taxi driver, Willie Lee said they had benefited from the scheme. “Just imagine in a few hours we are receiving this much money and what about shopkeepers, nightclubs and hotels. “In a day I usually have 15 passengers but now it’s more than 30,” he said. Naikava Taxi stand driver Abdhul Maman of Nadera also shared the same sentiments. “I am really happy. Business now is so much better than what we used to get during Christmas last year. I used to get around $80 a day but now I am nailing $250 a day.
“I have a family to look after; these earnings has really helped me in financially supporting my family,” he said. Nishar Ali, 57, said it had kept them busy and now they are always looking forward to working every day.
“It’s a circle, if they have money then we will also benefit from it and this encouraged us to work hard. “Before I used to earn around $50 to $70 in a day but now I am getting around $100 to $150. This is so much better than what we get during Christmas,” he said.