Kreetika Kumar 
The Fiji Taxi Association has raised concerns over the continued operation of illegal private vehicles across Fiji.
General Secretary Ashwin Lal stated that this ongoing issue poses a significant threat to public safety and must be urgently addressed.
Lal highlighted that incidents involving illegal operators negatively impact Fiji’s reputation as a tourist destination.
He emphasized that many visitors rely on taxi services for transportation.
He urged both locals and tourists to avoid using unregistered transport providers, stressing that such drivers are often untrained.
Lal also called on the Land Transport Authority to investigate whether the vehicle involved in the recent incident with a Virgin Australia airline crew member is registered to a different owner.
“We are hoping that the Police and the LTA work together and investigate the issue and investigate if the person charged for rape is the owner of the vehicle or not. If the owner is someone else then he should be charged as well. We have noticed that some of the vehicles that are illegally operating belong to the business people and civil servants.”
To enhance security, the Association has requested increased police patrols in areas such as Nadi’s nightclub precinct.
