When the clock strikes 5pm in Korovou, the town begins to slowdown. Taxi operators pack up, shops close their doors and public transport thins out.
Yet for many workers, students and villagers, the day is far from over, with people still stranded in town, one former police officer has stepped in — trading his badge for the driver’s seat as a late-evening “pirate driver.”
The native from Wailotua Wainibuka, Peni Sovanatabua has been a pirate driver for more than 12 years in Korovou.
Once part of the Fiji Police Force, the driver now uses his private vehicle to transport commuters after regular taxi services stop.
He says his decision was not about making money, but about helping a community that has been left without options once daylight fades.
He said, “after five o’clock, taxis are gone, but people are still here,”
“Parents finish shopping, workers knock off late, students are waiting. I couldn’t just watch them wait in agony in town hoping for someone to take them home.”
Korovou is a service hub for surrounding villages, drawing hundreds of people daily for business, school and employment.
While daytime transport is available, the early closure of taxi services creates a major gap, and many commuters are forced to walk long distances in the dark or wait for hours hoping for a lift.
Mr. Sovanatabua says he noticed the problem even while serving in uniform.
“As a police officer, my job was to protect people,” he said.
“Now I still do that, just in another way — by making sure they reach home safely.”
Each afternoon, he parks near busy pick-up points and begins his rounds, offering rides to nearby settlements and villages.
He keeps his fares affordable, avoids overcrowding, and looks out for vulnerable passengers such as women, schoolchildren and the elderly.
Nearby residents say they are fortunate to have pirate drivers available after 5pm and their presence has become are lifeline.
“Sometimes there is not van or taxi left,” said a Korovou vendor.
“Without them, some of us would be walking for hours.”
However, operating without a permit comes at a cost for this pirate drivers in Korovou says Mr. Sovanatabua.
“Pirate drivers in Korovou face penalties for illegal parking and providing transport services without are permit, with fines reaching $500 per offence,” he said.
The former officer admits most of his fellow pirate drivers have been fined but says the punishment has not discouraged him.
“Yes, we get fined. Illegal parking, no permit and that can result to a $500 fine,” he said.
“But that doesn’t stop me. When people are stuck, what do you do? Leave them?”
He believes the label “pirate driver” unfairly paints helpers as criminals, when in reality they are filling a transport gap.
“It sounds bad, but we’re just trying to help where the system stops,” he said.
While he continues his work, he stresses that the long-term solution should come from improved transport services, including extended taxi hours or night operations in Korovou.
“If taxis could operate later, people wouldn’t have to rely on us,” he said.
“But until that happens, I’ll keep driving.”
From badge to backseat, his mission remains the same — serving the people of Korovou when the town grows quiet and the road home still waits.
