Buea : Passengers Unable To Pay New Taxi Fee

By Friday March 17, 2023, the new taxi tariff of FCFA 300 by day and FCFA 350 in the night is still a far fetched reality in Buea. Passengers continue to pay FCFA 100 and 150 per drop. Akwe Edwin Kome, President of SYNCHTACAM Buea Branch, indicated that the new tariff is not being respected as most passengers keep paying less. He pointed out that most of their clients are students. At the detriment of taxi drivers, the new tariff becomes negotiable depending on the distance. “This has made things very difficult for us as fuel is FCFA 733 per litre,” he stated. Previously, a taxi driver in Buea could run 300 kilometers daily and make about FCFA 25,000. But since November 2020, Buea has become congested with vehicles limiting a taxi driver to 150 kilometers daily or less earning him about FCFA 15,000. “If you are not the owner of the taxi then you need to give a balance of FCFA 8,000. You also need to refill your tank. And this may leave a taxi driver returning home with just FCFA 5,000 or less. This is challenging for us,” Akwe Edwin said pleading that authority should do something about the fuel increase.
Shulamite Puwah, a teacher, said adapting to the new taxi tariff has been difficult. She trekked often to reduce her distance before pleading with a taxi driver for a ride at FCFA 100 or 150. Ojay Lizzy, a nursing student at RHIMBS, lives in Bakweri Town and schools in Mo...