Latest update February 14th, 2025 8:22 AM
Taxi, minibus fares double this festive season
Although it has become a norm for minibus and hire car operators to hike their fares around the festive season, commuters continue to criticise and accused them of being exploitive.
This was the case on Christmas Eve as persons flocked Georgetown to do their last minute shopping.
Persons hurrying to get out of hustling and bustling are being greeted with some “outrageous” prices by transporters. There has been a hike in fare at almost every bus and car park around the capital city.
Specifically, this fare hike was observed with cars not operating through a taxi service.
Persons using taxis for short drops complained of the fares doubling.
In some instances, taxi drivers charged $700, $800 and even $1,000 for short drops, when the regular prices are usually around $400 and $500.
“Driver how much to go to La Penitence market?” one woman asked a taxi driver outside the car park at Demico House, Stabroek, Georgetown.
The taxi driver responded $1,000. The woman said, “$1,000 to go right down there. Man every year is the same thing with you guys. You people over doing it.”
In a serious tone, the taxi driver asked the woman if she had observed the heavy traffic around town and the time it is taking to make a drop-off.
Nevertheless, there was some negotiation between them; the fare was reduced to $900 and the woman boarded the car to her destination.
Another passenger, a student, complained of having to pay $1,500 to travel from Stabroek Market to Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown when the fair on a usually day is $1,000.
The student said, “Is only because I have these bags mek I taking a taxi. These road cars, really overdoing it. When I call my usual taxi service, the dispatcher told me that no cars were in Georgetown and I didn’t able wait because I came to town since early this morning to do my last minute shopping.”
It was observed that persons, who were carrying plenty baggage preferred to travel in taxi so as to avoid the constant moving and stops to put off passengers when travelling in minibuses.
Waveney Johnson, an elated shopper explained that she would rather travel in taxi than minibus because she would be dropped off in front of her home. “You see all them bag I have? I can’t catch a bus because I will have to walk through a street when I get drop off at the road head. When I catch the car I will get drop off right in front my home plus the taxi driver will help me carry in these bags.
But not every shopper is like Johnson. There were shoppers whose preferred mode of transportation was minibuses because it was cheaper. However, some of them were left shocked when minibus operators demanded $100 for all short-drops, which on any regular day would be $60 and $80.
Over at the route 42 bus park, Georgetown to Timehri, the standard $100 fare remained for persons travelling directly to Diamond/Grove. Persons stopping short of these locations were also required to pay the same fare, which would normally be between $60 and $80.
“Passengers all shorts drops are $100. It don’t matter where you coming off even if it is right at Parliament Buildings,” one bus driver informed before he drove off from the Route 42 Bus Park.
When asked the reason for the increased fares, a taxi driver explained, “Is the heavy traffic congestion around town during this time. It’s taking too long to make a drop off in this confusion. But some taxi man taking advantage of people. I hear some of them charging $1000 for a short drop. I can’t do people that because when this holiday done, I still got to get customers. I don’t want no customer remember me after the holidays as the taxi man who charged them expensive.”
The taxi driver related that fares will go back to normal after the holidays.
“Remember persons will want to go partying and so on…So they will need a taxi to go home because bus does hardly run.
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