Myth Busting – Taxis in Fiji
Q1. Why are there few taxis available after 7 pm Monday to Thursday in our towns and cities?
Because Taxi Operators choose to work on days and hours where they can make most money with least effort.
Q2. Why are taxis not readily available in rural areas?
Again taxi operators are not active in rural areas because the business is so scarce.
Q 3. Do taxi operators have a legitimate complaint about “white plate” rental cars and licensed hire vehicles being used as taxis.
There are some illegal taxis operating in Fiji and the Authority has been taking action since the beginning of 2019 to book these and report the drivers to Fiji Revenue and Customs for tax evasion. The taxi operators encourage the operation of the illegals by not operating sufficient service in the evenings and at certain times on weekends. The illegals fill the vacuum left by the taxi operators.
Many shopping centres are left without a taxi service on a Saturday morning because there are richer pickings elsewhere.
Q4. What can be done about this “cherry picking” by taxi operators?
The Authority is examining a number of options to ensure that taxi operators behave more responsibly, providing a true all day service and they themselves stop opening up pportunities for illegal taxis to prosper.
Q5. At night we cannot see when a taxi is occupied or not there is nothing to indicate if it is available for hire.
The Authority will compel taxi operators in 2020 to fit a new rooftop sign that will signify clearly to customers whether the taxis is available or not.
Q6. Why do we in Fiji have multicoloured taxis which are indistinguishable from normal private cars in most instances. Surely this further encourages illegals to operate more clandestinely.
Yes. You are right this multi-coloured taxi fleet causes great confusion and reduces the visibility of genuine taxis. The Authority will introduce a single colour and logos (with security features) in early 2020. Taxis will become visible and recognised by locals and our tourists at a glance.
Q7. When I go out clubbing on a Friday or Saturday night I find that there are private cars and often Licensed Hire and Rental cars touting for business. I am a young woman and afraid for my safety. What can I do to protect my safety?
Firstly, you have every right to be very concerned about your personal safety. This Authority is deeply concerned about everyone’s personal safety on or about the roads in Fiji.
The strong advice to you and others who may be tempted to get into a car which is not an authorised taxi is don’t do it for the following reasons:
■ The vehicle will not be insured if it is involved in a collision
■ There is a grave risk that the “driver” is not experienced and high risk
■ There is a high risk of contact or worse
■ There is also a strong possibility that the driver of the illegal vehicle does not know the correct route to follow to take you to your destination.
■ The condition of the vehicle maybe highly dubious and not roadworthy.
Q8.
inappropriate
How do I know when I get into an authorised taxi that the driver is the authorised driver entitled to be in charge of the vehicle?
At the moment you don’t have any assurance that the driver of the taxi is the authorised driver.
The Authority recognises this as a gap in the system that needs to be attended to urgently.
We are investigating a system of introducing PSV Identity Cards for all Taxi,Bus,Minibus and LC drivers.
SOURCE: Ritesh Kumar Transport Authority
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