A taxi operator on Taveuni is calling on authorities for more taxi bases on the island.
Taveuni taxi operator, Volitiviti Racevaceva said there was a need for two more taxi stands on the island, one to service the southern and northern parts and another in the central part of the island.
"The reason for this is because the major service amenities like the government station, the shopping centre and the airport in Taveuni are scattered through the central part of the island and villagers from the north and south really find it hard to get to these amenities," said Mr Racevaceva.
"Therefore a taxi stand in the three populated areas within the island would ensure that villagers at the southern, the central and the northern end of the island have equal access to transportation."
"At the moment we are based at the designated bases allocated to us by the Central Board of Health (CBH) when we had applied for our licences," he said.
Ministry of Health spokesman Peni Namotu said taxi operators needed to follow proper processes and that application for bases/stands were applied to the Local Authority through a development proposal, outlining a plan and complying with requirements and provisions set out.
"Government areas, need consent given by the relevant government stakeholders and are also progressed through CBH, upon the advice from the local authority," said Mr Namotu.
"Provisions for a stand are based from a checklist, uniformly used by all local authorities and these entail a booth, water and sanitation amenities, waste disposal, parking allotments and spaces that need to be well landscaped with a clean environment."
"Costing for taxi stand would vary from a lot of factors; number of vehicle spaces, building, water, references to building application forms on the value of building from $2,000 -$6,000, otherwise depending on those factors," he said.