Transport minister denies govt venture into taxi service

Transport Minister Mohamed Ameen on Wednesday denied claims of the government planning to venture into the taxi service.

Transport ministry had announced new taxi fares for capital Male amid mounting public complaints of drivers overcharging.

The new fare for taxi rides around the greater Male region also included fares for 7-10 seaters which until then had been unregulated.

Several 7-10 seater taxi drivers held a press conference on Wednesday to voice concerns over the new fares and urged the government not to venture into the taxi service.

Responding to the claims, Ameen insisted that the government had no intention of venturing into the taxi service and said fares were set for 7-10 seaters because it had been unregulated thus far.

"This is public service. So if the taxis refuse to go to the airport and stop this service, the government then has to step in and ensure that the service remains uninterrupted. But so far we have not reached that point. So such claims are not true," Ameen said.

According to the minister, the government had not lowered taxi fares as claimed by some taxi drivers, pointing to the fact that the recently announced fares are the same as they were before, except for 7-10 seaters. 

"Seven seaters have been providing taxi service for years. But that also should have set fares. Since it was unregulated before the drivers were charging any amount they wished," he added.