China
09:32, 25-Feb-2017
Cuban taxis forced off road after government halves fares
Updated
10:52, 28-Jun-2018
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By CGTN America
Cuban authorities have ordered private, fixed-route taxi drivers in Havana to lower their fares, a move that has led some drivers to take their cars off the road.
The average basic fare was 10 pesos, slightly less than half a US dollar. The government, though, decided that with average state salaries the equivalent of around 25 US dollars a month, this was too expensive.
In order to protect those on low incomes, the authorities ordered the fare be cut in half.
In response, some drivers have stopped working while others are reluctant to accept the new lower fares.
Passengers are not happy, but drivers argue the new prices don’t cover costs.
There are around 75,000 privately-run shared taxis in Havana. It’s a hop-on hop-off service along fixed routes with passengers filling both the front and back seats.
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