FARE OPTIONS

Meeting to consider bus and taxi rates

By EDDIE OSIFELO

BUS and taxi owners will be invited to a meeting to discuss their demand for authorities to increase fares.

The proposed meeting, to be held on 12 July, came after the Working Committee of the Road Transport Board (RTB) met Tuesday this week on the matter.

“The Working Committee agreed to invite representatives of bus and taxi owners to the next meeting scheduled for Tuesday 12 July 2022,” a statement from the Honiara City Council (HCC) said.

RTB is made up of HCC, Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID), Ministry of Commerce, Industries, Labor and Immigration (MCILI) and the police.

Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) was held on Tuesday 5th July 2022.

The statement said the 12 July meeting will consider options for bus fares and taxi fares within Honiara City.

It added that during Tuesday’s meeting, the Working Committee agreed that legal or regulatory mechanisms must now be put in place to regulate public transport service within Honiara City.

“The Working Committee is pressing towards this in collaboration with bus owners, taxi owners and other stakeholders.

“As part of this expected collaboration, the Working Committee requests bus owners and taxi owners to register as companies so that it would be more effective and efficient to consult and collaborate on issues pertaining to bus and taxi services in Honiara City.”

Meanwhile, city mayor Eddie Siapu calls on bus and taxi owners to maintain current fares until the Working Committee completes its tasks.

Last week, bus operators staged a protest in Honiara demanding the city council to approval fare increases in Honiara.

Some of the buses went ahead and imposed a new bus fare of $5, an increase of $2 from the usual $3.

The demand for fare increases came in the wake of continuing rise in fuel prices.

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