Taxi fares double this festive season

Dec 23, 2018 News

It has become more expensive to use taxis especially those not operating from a service base. While it has become a norm for hire car operators to hike fares around the Christmas season, commuters are feeling the squeeze.
Travelers have accused operators of exploiting them.
This is always the case leading up to Christmas. Persons hurrying to get out of the hustling and bustling around Georgetown are being greeted with some outrageous prices by transporters. There has been a hike in fares at every car park as well as taxi services around Georgetown.
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.
A taxi driver attached to the 007 Taxi Service explained that an additional $100 has been added on to fares for destinations around Georgetown due to the traffic congestion caused by shoppers flocking the city.
“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.”

The Stabroek Market car park

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, and the fare was reduced to $900 before the woman boarded the car to her destination.
Kaieteur News made contact with several Taxi Services around the city to ascertain their positions on fares. Green Ice and City Taxi Services said that they have not approved any fare increases. However, GR Taxi Service said that it is customary for drivers to increase fares around Georgetown by $100 and $200.
Anyway, another passenger, a student, complained of having to pay $1,500 to travel from Stabroek Market to Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown when the fare 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 Christmas shopping.”
It was observed that persons, who were carrying plenty baggage preferred to travel in taxis so as to avoid the constant moving and stops to put off passengers when travelling in minibuses.
Simone Nurse, an elated shopper explained that she would rather travel in a taxi than in a 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 Nurse. There were shoppers whose preferred mode of transportation was the minibus because it was cheaper.
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.”