THE old “open taxi rank” system caused too many taxis to concentrate in busy urban areas, while rural and peri-urban communities were left with limited or unreliable taxi services.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) Acting CEO Makitalena Drova said this imbalance prompted the authority to shift to a new “base and stand” system aimed at improving the distribution of taxi services across Fiji.
The old system allowed taxis to operate freely and cluster in busy areas, while the new system gives LTA the authority to assign taxis to specific bases and stands to spread services more evenly across Fiji.
“The move from an open taxi rank system to a base and stand system has been carefully designed to better suit the unique geographic, economic, and social context of Fiji,” Ms Drova said.
“The new system introduces a more structured approach by assigning taxis to defined bases and stands, ensuring wider coverage and more equitable access to transport services.”
She said this was particularly important in Fiji, where population distribution was spread across urban, peri-urban and rural areas with varying transport demand.
Ms Drova said designated bases and stands were also intended to improve order, accountability and accessibility while reducing congestion in already well-served locations.
“This framework aligns with LTA’s broader objective of ensuring that public transport services are not only efficient, but also fair, inclusive, and responsive to national development needs.
“The authority also wishes to correct misinformation circulating in public spaces regarding base consent requirements.
“While the new framework requires base consent, the approving authority depends entirely on the location of the base.”
She said because the reform is designed to extend services beyond municipal areas into rural and peri-urban regions, consent from relevant agencies is required depending on land type and location.
