Our Correspondent
Kohima, Oct. 17 (EMN): Passengers travelling in commercial vehicles have been bearing the brunt of exorbitant taxi fares ever since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
While many social, academic, sports, religious, and other public gatherings have been functioning with full attendance following lockdown relaxations issued by the authority, commercial vehicles continue to ferry fewer passengers while charging them excessive fares.
Taxi drivers in the state capital claimed that they were taking limited passengers as the authority had not issued any order to ferry travellers occupying the full seating capacity.
However, commuters informed Eastern Mirror that the drivers ‘usually pick up other people on the way’ even after the allotted number of passengers had boarded the cabs.
Meanwhile, another passenger also informed this newspaper that a driver had allowed more passengers in his vehicle and charged them INR 600 each on reaching the state capital from Dimapur.
It was learnt that the fare for travelling between Kohima and Dimapur was INR 300. However, since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the taxi fare had increased to INR 600.
"Even if we started carrying passengers to the full seating capacity, we will increase the fare of the passenger due to the hike of prices in petrol," a driver informed.
Meanwhile, city buses plying between High School junction and BOC in the state capital also continue to charge INR 20 rupees against the normal fare of INR 10 for 50% seating capacity.
A passenger informed this newspaper that he has been walking from Razhü Point to BOC in the morning daily owing to the surge of bus fare.
The Regional Transport Office, Kohima, could not be reached when contacted by this newspaper.