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Taxi group chief: New fares will attract riders
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Posted on Oct 08 2008
Responding to criticism over a new plan to reduce taxi fares, the president of the Saipan City Taxi Association is urging cabbies on the island to consider the prospect that it will attract new taxi riders.
On Monday, the Saipan City Taxi Association introduced a plan to reduce fares by 50 percent between 10 am and 10:30 pm. The move comes after DFS Saipan last month dropped a program providing commissions to taxi drivers that bring shoppers to its Garapan complex.
However, taxi association president Rabby Syed in an interview Wednesday said cab drivers that work out of hotel have faulted the reduced fare plan, saying it will cost them money. Syed answered those concerns, noting that the plan will change the public image of the island’s taxis.
“Right now, some customers have the idea that taxis are very expensive on Saipan,” he said. “In general, our market doesn’t know about this plan. People should know that the taxis are cheap and they should ride taxis.”
Syed added the reduced fare plan is an experiment that will last three months. During that time, he added, drivers will have a chance to determine whether the lower prices have attracted more customers.
Meanwhile, Syed said the change in fare prices is key to the survival of Saipan’s taxis during the island’s recent economic downturn.
“This program is designed for everybody in the community,” he said. “I’m asking all the taxi drivers right now to please be patient as we do this experiment. These are hard times and there’s no need to place blame on each other. Instead, let’s try to figure out together what’s a suitable solution.”
