The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has announced a major overhaul of Fiji’s taxi permit system, officially shelving the long-standing Open Taxi Rank System (OTRS) and imposing new eligibility rules that will reshape how taxi services are licensed and allocated. In a public notice issued this week, the Authority said operators under the OTRS must revert to their original taxi base or stand and that a raft of administrative changes will govern future permit issuance and stand allocations.
Under the changes, taxi services will move to a formal Base and Stand model: each operator will be assigned a specific base — defining their permitted area of operation — and a designated stand for parking and dispatch. The LTA also confirmed it has discontinued the barrel draw system previously used to allocate taxi stands. Future stand allocations will instead follow the Authority’s standard assessment and allocation process, the notice said.
One of the most significant policy shifts is that taxi permits will now be issued only to individual persons. Corporate entities and companies will no longer be eligible to hold taxi permits, a move that will require firms and corporate operators currently holding permits to seek guidance on transitioning ownership or operations. Zone permit holders have been told they will be allowed time to submit base letters to the LTA as part of the transition, though the notice did not specify exact deadlines or the documentation format required.
The LTA has also introduced a new income eligibility threshold: applicants for taxi permits must have a household annual income of $30,000 or below to qualify. The Authority has not yet published detailed guidance on how household income will be verified or how existing permit-holders above that threshold will be treated; operators and prospective applicants have been directed to the LTA’s customer service centre for clarification on evidence requirements and the transition process.
Chief Executive Officer Irimaia Rokosawa framed the reforms as necessary to create a “more transparent, fair and properly regulated” public transport system. He urged all taxi operators and stakeholders to comply with the new measures, stressing that the changes are intended to standardise allocations and reduce practices the LTA regards as inequitable. The notice reiterates that queries should be lodged through the LTA’s customer service channels.
The announcement follows the LTA’s earlier modernization steps, when the Authority introduced new functions and staff training aimed at improving service delivery and regulatory oversight. Observers say the latest measures appear to be a further move to formalise operations in the taxi sector and align licensing with the LTA’s broader regulatory reforms, although a number of operational details remain to be clarified.
For now, affected drivers, zone holders and companies are expected to engage with the LTA to understand how the new rules will be implemented in practice — including the timing for reverting to bases, the process for transferring or reissuing permits, and the documentation needed to prove eligibility under the new income criterion. The LTA’s customer service centre is listed as the contact point for further information.
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