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Taxi drivers should provide services to concession card holders

October 29, 2017 10:33 pm

The Consumer Council of Fiji is calling on taxi drivers to be mindful of their responsibility towards passengers’ particularly senior citizens and people with disabilities as they qualify for 20% fare concessions for distance travelled within 20-kilometer radius.

Chief Executive, Premila Kumar says the call comes in light of a recent complaint brought to the council’s attention whereby a taxi driver in Labasa declined taxi fare concession to an elderly citizen simply because he did not inform the driver prior to boarding the taxi that he qualified for the 20% fare concession.

The senior citizen despite having the fare concession card was denied the 20% fare concession.

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Kumar says given that the complainant was in a hurry to reach his destination, he had to pay the full fare to the driver, however, he later returned to the taxi base demanding his refund and also lodged a complaint with the council.

She says that after their intervention, the taxi driver reimbursed the 20% of the total fare paid by the complainant.

The Council also reported the matter to the Social Welfare Department and the Fiji Taxi Association.

Kumar reiterated that there is no such rule that passengers must inform drivers prior to boarding the taxi that they hold a concession card as fares are paid at the end of the journey.

She adds that taxi drivers should not demand consumers to inform them beforehand on whether they are concession card holders as they are to provide service to all consumers equally and not be selective on the basis of losing out on a few dollars to the concession card holders.