Commuters warned: 'Brace for fare increase'

Commuters must brace for an increase in taxi fares throughout the country as taxi and maxi-taxi drivers, along with their associations, have said they cannot keep the public transport system functioning under existing conditions.

Two weeks ago the Prime Minister reverted public transport capacity restrictions to 50 per cent. This will remain in effect at least until May 23.

Since then the San Fernando /La Romaine route taxi drivers announced a $2 fare increase.

Linus Phillip, president of the Route 2 Maxi Taxi Association, said it was only a matter of time until his members announced a permanent increase.

“We know everybody's not going to like it and everybody's not going to agree with it at the end of the day,” he told Newsday on Friday.

Phillip said operators are making around $80 in one trip, and most of them are not lucky enough to make two trips a day after waiting in the line for one trip at City Gate for over six hours. The day’s earnings are not enough to cover gas, vehicle maintenance, and living expenses, he said.

“It's been about around 16 months transportation have been carrying that burden. We don’t want our fare to go through the roof like other taxi associations, but for us, it’s a matter of survival, so they must brace for a fare increase.

“For us, it's a survival tool and it’s something we have been playing around with. We are trying to be very considerate about this and to see all the best ways we could treat with it.

"But things look like it’s not changing very soon and to keep this industry going everybody has to share the burden.”

He said after Dr Rowley further reduced the public transport capacity, the drivers' call for a fare increase grew louder.

"We have had a lot of increase in (the costs of) goods and services – tyres, mechanics, oil, all these things going up after the pandemic. Oil going up by nine per cent. Tyre gone from $750 to $950. Insurance hasn’t dropped.”

Asked if the association would consider a temporary increase Phillip said, “Trinidad has a way when things go up it doesn’t come down. Still, we don’t want to elaborate the increase because it is going to be hard on the people working.”

What will happen in the days leading up to May 23 will determine the association’s next move.

“If we have to go this way, we will look at what should be fair to our commuters, owners, and operators because, at the end of the day, we need each other. We need them to survive, they need us to go to work.”

Eon Hewitt, president of the Route 1 Yellow Band Maxi Taxi Association, said the executive is strongly considering an increase.

“We are really struggling. But we will hold our hands and see what happens after May 23.

“Last year he put $22 million for maxi taxi and we only used $4 million and it would be nice for him to remember there is $18 million to assist us.”

In Tobago, Clyde Williams, president of the Tobago Maxi Taxi Association, told Newsday his members have agreed to monitor the situation before they meet to discuss an increase in fares. At this time they have no intention to make changes.

“I haven’t heard anybody demand we sit and discuss and increase but those whom I have spoken to said we should wait until the 23 to see what going on. If all taxis and maxi shut down who will bring the essentials to work. Right now it's a risk we are taking.”

Nolton Roberts president of the Tobago Taxi Cab Corporative Society Ltd told Newsday there are no plans to increase the fares yet.

All the taxi drivers with whom Newsday spoke agreed an increase is imminent if the restrictions remain. One taxi driver of 38 years said those using public transportation must share the burden. Roy Henry, a Long Circular/St James taxi stand said, “Some of us have to fight the burden. If we are told we will get something at least make it easier to assess where you not even sure to get.”