Fiji Taxi Association has been strongly told to prepare to provide 24-hours-a-day and seven-days-a-week (24/7) taxi services once the illegal transport operators are removed.

LTA regional manager West, Paulini Tora yesterday urged the FTA board members and taxi drivers to do this on behalf of the public during the meeting at the Nadi Civic Centre.

Ms Tora said the LTA had endorsed two separate joint operations with Fiji Police to curb illegal transport providers in Nadi, Lautoka and Ba beginning this week.

“A 24-hour operation to track down illegal transport operators in Nadi and Lautoka as well as in Ba has been endorsed,” Ms Tora said.

“But our plea to all taxi operators once we do this is we need you to be there to be able to transport people once illegal operators are curbed.

“Because we have had experiences before…when we start closing illegal operators at places, people are walking. Why? Because there are no taxis around.”

Unfortunately, the FTA members stated that it was not possible to provide 24/7 services because of criminal activities and that the current number of taxis were not enough to cater for the currently increased population.

So a suggestion put forward by the FTA board member and acting national president Saiyad Nabi was for LTA to allow taxi operations from 6pm to 6am to operate from any base.

“This would allow the taxi to be available to the public and we will be able to reach them if there is no taxi at a particular base,” Mr Nabi said.

In response, Ms Tora said she would present this idea before the LTA board and await their decision.

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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