The Fiji Taxi Association has called on the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to clarify how it will roll out new Licensed Taxi (LT) permits after Government moved to lift a long-standing freeze and signalled a transition from the open taxi rank system to a base-and-stand model.
Association national president Mohammed Faiyaz said the industry needed clear, transparent information on how many new permits would be issued and precisely where they would be allocated. “We would like to know how many new permits will be issued, and in which areas,” Faiyaz told media. He said the lack of detail has fuelled concerns that the new permit process could entrench existing problems rather than address them.
Faiyaz alleged that permits originally allocated for rural areas have been operating in towns and cities, leaving the rural communities they were intended to serve underserved. He claimed some rural permits were later transferred to urban centres, a practice he said must stop if the reform is to benefit those most in need. “Before taxi permits were issued for rural areas but they are operating in town and cities and not serving the community where they were issued for,” he said.
As a safeguard, Faiyaz urged that taxi bases be implemented before any new permits are issued so the LTA can ensure fair allocation and proper oversight. He also contended that no new LT permits should be issued in Nadi and Lautoka because zone taxis already operate there and should instead be formalised with designated bases. “No taxi permit should be issued in Nadi and Lautoka as there are zone taxis. These zone taxis should have their base,” he said.
Faiyaz also raised operational and ethical concerns about how some permits are being used. He said some operators treat taxis as private vehicles, parking them at workplaces or hiring them out, rather than operating services for the public. “Some taxi operators use taxi as personal use and park at workplace and some are given on hire. It should be given to those who are in need,” he said, stressing the association’s willingness to work with Government but pressing for more consultation prior to permit issuance.
Questions sent to the LTA about the number of permits, allocation criteria, and plans to enforce bases remained unanswered at the time this edition went to press. The association’s call for transparency now places pressure on the regulator to publish details of its timetable and allocation framework before the next phase of reform proceeds.
The association says it has no principled objection to the Government’s shift to a base-and-stand system, but warns that without clear rules, consultation and enforcement, the change may fail to improve services or protect the livelihoods of existing operators—particularly those serving rural communities. The next developments to watch are any formal responses or policy papers from the LTA laying out numbers, zones and enforcement measures, and whether Government will convene the consultations the industry has requested.
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