THE Lautoka Taxi Association says it will reluctantly accept a newly-approved temporary fare increase, despite receiving only half of an 8-cent adjustment operators had requested to counter soaring industry costs.
Association general secretary Saiyaz Firoz Dean said while operators were not entirely satisfied with the 4-cent increase approved by the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC), they will wait to see how the public responds.
“We demanded an 8-cent increase,” he said.
Mr Dean said the industry’s last fare increment was in 2010.
“Since then, everything has gone up. For instance, the flag fall went from $1 to $2. Additionally, many operators chose eco-friendly hybrid cars, and the parts for those are very expensive.”
The temporary adjustment, which took effect on July 1, increases the distance charge for general taxis from 10 cents to 14 cents per 100 metres. All other fare components, including flag fall and waiting time charges, remain unchanged.
The FCCC says the targeted adjustment is designed to protect the viability of Fiji’s taxi industry against rising global fuel prices without overburdening consumers.
Mr Dean said that the association had requested the 8-cent hike to balance the introduction of new meters, which carry waiting charges of 18 cents per minute.
“It means for every kilometre, you’re going to be getting 40 cents more. We’re not really happy, but let’s see how it works.
“Maybe it’s going to be a good decision for the public, as not everybody can afford taxis. If they could have given even 6 cents, it would have been okay. For a 100-kilometre trip, that would have given us $60 more. Now it’s only $40 extra.”
Mr Dean said the adjustment would still provide a noticeable difference on longer routes.
“For example, if we take a job from Lautoka to Sigatoka, a trip of 100 kilometres the fare before was $102.
“Now, with the extra 4 cents per 100 metres, we’re going to be getting $140 for that distance, I would say it’s not bad.”
