‘Transport dept failed to fix taxi fares to ISBT’

SHILLONG, April 18: Passengers travelling to the ISBT at Mawiong to catch buses for onward journey have been facing multiple issues with the Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) yet to deliver on its promise to bring in a mechanism to address the exorbitant taxi fares charged by cabbies.
The taxi drivers, on the other hand, have blamed the Transport department for not fixing the taxi fare.
John Nongsiej, the leader of the local taxi operators of Mawiong, said it was the responsibility of the department to fix the charges.
He said that the association, on its own, decided to charge Rs 300 for reservation of a taxi from ISBT to Motphran and vice versa while they charge Rs 400 from ISBT to Shillong Civil Hospital.
On allegations that passengers were being charged as high as Rs 700-800, he said most of the cabbies charge higher when they have to drop the passengers to areas like Happy Valley or Laitkor.
“We have to come early in the morning and we don’t even get passengers on the return trip. Even the petrol prices have skyrocketed now,” he said.
Most passengers lament that they have to shell out more money for the taxi fare than the actual cost of the bus ticket.
“We have to pay a hefty amount as taxi fare and have to pay parking fees inside the ISBT if we bring our vehicle,” some passengers said.
The ISBT was established to make the state capital breathe easier in terms of the traffic situation but the department’s failure in ensuring hassle-free shuttle service to and from Mawiong has turned into a harrowing experience for the citizens.