$490 weekly taxi base fee leaves driver struggling to feed family

For taxi driver Waqa Ian Morrell, putting food on the table for his family has become increasingly difficult, with much of his daily earnings going towards meeting demands from the taxi base he operates under.

Mr Morrell, who operates from the Old RB Taxi Base along Waimanu Road in Suva, says he earns about $70 a day but is required to pay the base owner $490 at the end of each week, leaving him with little money to support his family.

He raised the issue during a community dialogue at the Nausori Village Hall, where taxi drivers gathered to share their experiences and highlight challenges surrounding the taxi permit application process.

Mr Morrell said the financial pressure continued even during slow business periods when there were fewer passengers and less income.

“My family can’t survive. Most of the time, when the job is slack, the demand from the base owner is still high,” he said.

He called on the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to review the arrangements between taxi drivers and base owners and consider introducing a policy that would ensure payment demands were fair and reflected drivers’ actual daily earnings.

Mr Morrell said drivers were also bound by agreements requiring them to meet their payments, with the risk of being removed from the base if they failed to pay on time.

He said these placed drivers in a difficult position because walking away from the job was not an option when their families depended on their income.

“We also need money. We can’t leave the job and go. Our families also need to survive,” he said.

He said taxi drivers needed a fairer arrangement that recognised the financial pressures they faced while allowing them to continue earning a living.

The dialogue provided drivers with an opportunity to raise concerns directly and discuss practical solutions towards a fairer, more transparent and inclusive permit application process.