107 cases reported against taxi drivers since the beginning of 2022

107 cases have been reported against taxi drivers and operators to the Consumer Council of Fiji, since the beginning of January 2022 and they strongly believe that the total number of incidents is higher than this.

The public transport providers are under spotlight as Council received complaints that certain taxi operators fail to provide service for consumers who arrange prior bookings.

In a recent case reported a consumer was late to his destination twice in less than a week due to poor communication and failure to relay the correct information to the customer in question.

This is been highlighted after a consumer booked his pickup with a taxi base however, no taxi was sent and upon seeking clarification they notified substitute can be arranged as they were unaware of pickup.

The consumer was even blocked from calling the taxi operator after he raised his grievances about substandard services.

Consumer Council of Fiji, CEO, Seema Shandil says in the era where consumers want the best services and if providers fail to do so they will lose potential customers.

Shandil says the council understand the predicament of taxi operators who may face delays such as traffic congestion and they advise that consumers are informed promptly.

She adds that it is high time to move away from unprofessional behaviour because when consumers make prior arrangements, they expect to be picked as per the agreement and providing an excuse as petty as a communication breakdown is unacceptable. The Council has referred the matter to the relevant enforcement authority which is further investigating it.