Long Circular taxi fares rise

Members of the Long Circular/Wrightson Road Taxi Association say passengers will have to pay an additional dollar in their fare come November 6. Association members Gary Waldrop and Chris Jackho said this is the first increase in more than five years and removal of the fuel subsidy and increasing competition from PH drivers, led to the increase.

“We’re facing a lot of pressure all around at this time and a lot of it has to do with the sheer number of vehicles that are on the road. The fares haven’t increased since 2012 and we really tried not to raise it again, but we simply can’t afford to continue with the existing price system,” Jackho said.

He said trips from Port of Spain to Ariapita Avenue will remain at $6. Waldrop said the removal of the fuel subsidy had challenged taxi drivers, and called on licensing officials and the police to take a more proactive approach in enforcing traffic regulations, especially with respect to PH drivers.

“There are a lot of drivers operating as taxi drivers with expired licences or no licences at all, and it’s making our jobs very difficult. Sometimes it takes us up to half an hour to reach from the Queen’s Park Oval to downtown because of the number of vehicles on the street.”