Bula
THE “relative calm” Fiji is enjoying has not come easy. Home Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua shared this as he described his first year in office has not been an easy ride. That’s the big news on the front page of The Fiji Times for Friday, January 12.
In the second story, Mahesh Patel, a Papua New Guinea businessman who lost several shops in the country’s Wednesday riots, has described the event as his “darkest day”.
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Synopsis
The revelation that taxidrivers are refusing to take short runs because many passengers flee without paying their fare is cause for concern.
Fiji Taxi Driver Association general secretary Ashwin Lal is on the record suggesting they recently received many complaints of people “stepping taxis” from all four divisions.
Understandably, drivers fear theft and damage without insurance coverage. This raises questions: Do long runs face similar risks? How can these vulnerabilities be addressed for fair compensation and driver safety?
Who provides service for passengers opting for a short run then?
Do we get the powers that be to increase the quota of taxi permits to allow ‘other’ drivers to provide this service? Would that be sustainable though? It does not make sense though if passengers are fleeing without paying the fare only on short runs because these short runs could be longer runs coming from a different pickup point!
Mr Lal was responding to comments by LTA interim CEO Iramaia Rokosawa advising cab drivers the authority would act against those who cherry-picked passengers and declined short-run requests.
Taxidrivers, Mr Lal insists, are cherry-picking passengers because they fear for their safety and of being robbed.
Is this also happening on long runs?
Mr Lal alleged some LTA officers have charged taxidrivers without knowing their reasons for refusing short runs.
Mr Lal said passengers who fled taxis without paying must stop this as it affects the taxidrivers’ earnings.
He said ‘stepping taxis’ mostly happened in areas where there were shortcuts.
Again, this raises the question of whether passengers who live in areas where there are many shortcuts should not stop taxis?
Open dialogue is important. The association, the LTA, and the public must collaborate to find workable solutions.
The issue of “stepping taxis” raises ethical and social concerns as well. How does it impact communities and family values? How can we address this practice alongside financial pressures and societal disparities?
We need people to come together to discuss this as a major issue.
Drivers need security, passengers need access, and we all need ethical solutions. Open dialogue, addressing each one of our vulnerabilities, and exploring alternative service systems or models may be helpful in the long run, hopefully giving us a fair and efficient taxi system. We definitely need a solution-oriented approach. This is an important service. But we agree there must be safety factored in as well as the provision of a service to cater for a demand. Let’s talk about this and get some semblance of order for the benefit of all those involved!
