The Fiji Taxi Association have filed an injunction order in the Suva High Court for the Open Taxi Base Rank system, which comes into effect from Monday to be put on hold until the court makes a determination on the matter.
The case is against the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport, the Land Transport Authority and the Fiji Roads Authority.
In the application, the Association is calling on the Ministry, LTA and FRA to specify the designated areas of operation under the new system.
They are also calling for thorough consultation and awareness with all stakeholders to make proper determination for the operation of the system.
The Association says the Ministry, LTA and FRA has failed to provide polices and guidelines to them regarding the proper operation of the Open Rank Base system.
Minister for Transport Faiyaz Koya had said yesterday that over the past 9 months, the Open Taxi Rank Technical Working Group has been working on the transition to the new system.
He says they have been doing this in consultation with the taxi industry, including all the associations in the 3 divisions to capture the views and contributions of all taxi operators and drivers.
Koya says the system will allow taxis to operate on a first in-first out basis.
He says similar to other countries, the new system will lead to improved services and ease some financial burden on operators in the transport sector.
Koya says they have designed this model to suit the Fijian transport sector so that they can maximize benefits for operators and consumers which will provide uniformity across the board for all taxis.
The Minister adds says it will also create greater opportunities for taxi operators to attract more business whilst reducing illegal operation.
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