No change to taxi fare after lackluster response from the industry – FCCC

The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission says there are currently no changes to taxi fares due to a lack of financial information provided by the taxi industry.

FCCC determines fare prices through a review process that includes input from relevant stakeholders, obtained via calls for submissions.

They say these submissions play a crucial role in providing necessary financial data and insights from the industry, allowing them to conduct a comprehensive review and ensure the fairness and sustainability of taxi fares.

FCCC says since May of last year, FCCC has been requesting financial data from the taxi industry to conduct this review but unfortunately, the industry's response has been lacklustre, with only 53 taxis providing the necessary financial information.

They say this accounts for a mere 0.66 percent of the entire industry and falls significantly short of the required participation level for a thorough review.

FCCC initially issued a call for submissions on May 19th, 2022, but due to the inadequate response, additional calls were made on July 6th, October 21st, and November 2nd, 2022.

They say in the final week of October 2022, a total of 2,462 flyers were given to the Fiji Taxi Association for further distribution to taxi operators across the country, requesting their submissions for the taxi fare review.

FCCC says despite these efforts, the overall industry response remained insufficient.

They say the lack of submissions hinders FCCC's ability to gather a comprehensive picture of the taxi industry's financial landscape and properly assess the fare structure.

They say the final assessment of taxi fares takes into account the complete cost structure, not solely fuel costs, and without adequate data and insights, a thorough review cannot be undertaken.

FCCC says determining appropriate fares is a matter of national interest that requires thorough consideration and cannot be rushed based on insufficient information.

They add FCCC is committed to ensuring that taxi fares are fair, sustainable for the industry, and affordable for consumers.