The Fiji Taxi Association (FTA) has begun legal proceedings against the Land Transport Authority (LTA) over how the authority is allocating taxi permits through lottery.
The association is arguing that no jurisdiction in the world does this and wants to know what relevant laws LTA is using for the lottery.
Fiji Taxi Association secretary Ashwin Lal says they are disputing the procedure used by LTA. “We are asking them to review how the zonal permits are given as nowhere in any LTA regulation is it stated that a lottery type of draw has to be done to issue permits,” he said.
Lawyers acting for the FTA filed court documents on August 28 where they tried to obtain an injunction on the lottery permit draw that took place three days later.
The association submitted to the court that by law, LTA was required to determine the number of taxis that were required in each zone but there was no law to publish the number of taxis required.
“The LTA has five committee members who oversee this lottery and they haven’t revealed who they are. All other countries we checked issue taxi permits to those who have a business licence,” Mr Lal said.
The association had made numerous submissions to the LTA and the Minister for Transport on the issue.
“We have two sets of laws now for taxi where one set of taxi operators pay a business licence and base fee and the zonal taxis don’t have to pay business licence and a base fee,” Mr Lal added.
“These zonal taxis are cutting into our members’ business with no LTA enforcement.
“We seek that the courts determine that the processes and procedures being used by the LTA are correct and within the law.”
The matter will be called in court again on October 4, 2019.
