Two overseas tourists had some of their
belongings snatched by a taxi driver in Port Moresby on Monday after a fare dispute. Director of the tour company Ecotourism Melanesia Ltd, Aaron Hayes, said the tourists were with one of his company guides doing some souvenir shopping when the dispute occurred. “For a 45 minute journey from the airport with a stop at J Mart Erima, another stop at Boroko and a dropoff at Gateway Hotel the taxi driver demanded K120,” said Mr Hayes. “When the tourists refused to pay such a ridiculous amount the driver instead snatched one of the tourists’ souvenir bilums and took off. By the time my staff caught up with the driver at the Comfort Taxi base the next morning he said he had already sold the bilum to compensate himself for the fare.” Mr Hayes said the taxi situation in Port Moresby had gone from bad to worse, and he would no longer permit tourists to travel anywhere in the city by taxi. “The taxi industry in Port Moresby needs a major shake-up otherwise we just have to announce that taxis are off-limits for all overseas tourists,” complained Mr Hayes. “Ninety percent of the cabs on the road at the moment have no current taxi licence sticker on the window and are driving around with false home made registration plates or no plate at all. Often two cabs share one set of plates. They are getting away with it by paying bribes to pass through the traffic roadblocks and I have witnessed this myself as a passenger.” Mr Hayes further complained that unregistered cabs have no accident insurance covering their passengers, and that most Port Moresby cabs are filthy and unroadworthy with no seat belts in the back seat, wobbly wheels, squeaky brakes, rattling gearboxes, aircon not working, always running on empty and inconveniencing passengers by having to refuel during the trip and so on. Yet they still charge higher fares than the spotless brand new cabs in nearby Cairns. Mr Hayes said the Comfort taxi driver on Monday told the tourists that they have to pay more than locals because they are coming from overseas and they get more kina when changing their overseas money. “Apart from cleaning up the regular taxis there is also a real need for a VIP taxi service in Port Moresby with new and clean cars, uniformed drivers who speak English, proper fare meters and a 24-hour phone number,” said Mr Hayes. “Tourists and business travellers would be happy to pay more for a VIP taxi as long as they are charged by distance and waiting time not by how wealthy the passenger looks. Some of the private cab companies like Scarlet Taxis, Ark Taxis and Comfort Taxis started out offering premium services some years ago but their cars are now run down and they don’t use metres any more. Now it’s hard to find a good clean cab for a fair price in Port Moresby.” PNG Facts/ Post Courier Comments are closed.
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