President of the Route Two Maxi-Taxi Association Linus Phillip says its members still have to meet to discuss raising fares at after an increase in the price of diesel was announced by Finance Minister Colm Imbert on Friday.
With immediate effect, the new cost of diesel was $2.30 a litre, up from $1.98 a litre.
Phillip said, “The fuel bill is going to cost us $1,920 more a month, previously it cost us $120 a day to fill up a big, 80-litre maxi, now it’s $180 a day, plus other increases.”
Speaking to the Sunday Guardian yesterday about a possible increase in fares, he said he will have to talk to members first since everybody would have a different opinion to share.
“We have to sit down and discuss everyone's views and come to a decision, that’s how we usually operate.
But it’s going to be hard, we definitely are facing some increased costs,” he added.
Giving a breakdown of costs, Phillip said last month fuel and oil filters went up by $15 from $50 while one tyre costs $3,200.
He said a large maxi uses two 13-plate batteries that cost $850 each.
He added that maxi-taxi drivers had absorbed the last two fuel increases and did not raise their fares and this time around they were yet to find out if they do so again.
Phillip said the budget contained nothing for maxi-taxi drivers. He said drivers were promised a rebate in 2005 and to date, 100 of them were still awaiting payment.
He said maxi-taxi drivers were already working under stress.
He queried whether the country was getting value for money as far as the Public Transport Service Corporation was concerned, which had an overall subsidy of $300 million and the water-taxi which cost taxpayers $47 million a year in subsidies to bring 1,200 commuters into Port-of-Spain from San Fernando and back.