Serious concerns are being raised by the Suva Taxi Association regarding the high number of taxi drivers getting robbed and assaulted daily.
President of the Suva Taxi Association, Ratnash Narayan says yesterday a taxi was hired, and the driver was later thrown out while the robbers fled with the taxi at Raisara Road in Raiwai.
The matter was reported at Raiwaqa Police Station.
They are also saying there are reports that the vehicle’s tyres got damaged and the culprits were arrested during a police chase.
Narayan says last Friday, a Suva Taxi Association member was also robbed and assaulted at the same place in Raisara Road.
He says there have been other incidents where drivers have been taken to the spot, robbed and assaulted.
As a precautionary measure, all taxi drivers have been advised by the association to be careful who they pick up.
Narayan is requesting the Fiji Police Force to conduct a full investigation regarding all these reports of the same nature.
He says taxi drivers are targeted daily, although they provide an essential service to the public.
After fijivillage News raised the issue with the Fiji Police Force, Police Chief of Operations, ACP Livai Driu confirmed they have taken a few people to task for their involvement in the assaults and robbing of taxi drivers.
Police are also calling on all taxi drivers to consider their safety first before picking up passengers.
ACP Driu says the call comes after a few incidents of taxi drivers being robbed and assaulted.
ACP Driu says its common knowledge that taxi drivers usually carry cash which is often being targeted and they are calling on them to avoid carrying excessive amount of cash around.
He advises drivers not to flash money in front of passengers. ACP Driu also says taxi drivers should also reconsider their destination especially during the late hours in the night.
He says if the drivers feel uncomfortable with any of their passengers, they can always detour to the next Police Station or Community Post.
Police say they will continue to work with other stakeholders to ensure that taxi drivers continue to provide their services to members of the public in a safer environment.
