Taxi drivers

Senivesi Lutu, Labasa Can taxi drivers reject to take you if you are going a short distance? On Saturday 09/07/16, at around 1.40pm we approached a taxi at Nambawan Supermarket, Labasa, registration LT1802, we got in, there was four of us – three adults and a three-year-old girl, when we told the taxi to take us to Labasa College, he said we were overloading the cab and that only four people should be in a taxi. Now my whole life there has been 4 adults and sometimes more than one child travelling in a taxi, but we still pass through Police or LTA check points if they are on patrol but on this day the taxi driver tells us that it’s overloaded. So we walked to RB Patel Supermarket hoping to catch a taxi there. We approached the first taxi LT6142 at the taxi base at RB Patel, but he simply told us that he cannot go. We then approached another taxi SUNBIRD LT3858 who told us that he was waiting for his mother. They both did not want to take us since we told them first-hand to take us to Labasa College. We waited for a while at RB Patel trying to monitor LT3858 since he said he was waiting for his mother. We got on another taxi and the driver was happy to take us to our destination. Now what’s the point of having a Taxi permit if the driver only chooses his /her customers or which runs he/she will make?

A taxi is also a public vehicle to serve the public’s needs, so these three taxis do not deserve a place at the taxi stand?