…And some taxi drivers say brace for higher prices

And what does the hike mean for commuters? News Five went to the City’s streets and spoke with one of the groups most affected; taxi drivers. And while for a few operators, the fares to their patrons will remain the same, the general consensus is that the taxi ride will go up—for some, by as much as three dollars.

Taxi Operator # 1
“Once the price raise, we got to pay more money so people weh ride taxi wah have to pay at least wah two or three dollars more, especially if yoh have wah big car like wah eight cylinder. I hear dat dehn neva mi suppose to raise it no more, but dehn did so all taxi-man should hike up dehn price lee bit. People will just have to pay a lee bit more money. The vehicle need to be service all the time so it’s a lose-lose situation.”

Taxi Operator # 2
“Wid me, di price no gwen up mein cause I cant kill mi poor people mein because mostly poor people catch mi taxi. So I can’t kill mi customers.”

Taxi Operator # 3
“Personally, I normally use premium. Dah no any car I drive cause I think about performance but di price weh it reach now, I mean back to di old time thing weh months ago we had dis kind a problem and yoh worry bout people and dehn salary no di go up and you come in and you would ah seh seven dollars fi drop dehn dah West Landivar because surely dat further dan Albert Street. So ih reasonable fi yoh charge seven but me personally timid fi tell somebody seven dollars fi get dehn to work on time and thing because I know di pressure deh on so ih really affect us greatly.”

Duane Moody
“So do you feel that–are you going to raise your prices or will you just stick it out and maybe lose?”

Taxi Operator #3
“I wah try fi do mi best cause I have two cars weh I got fi pay fa weh I noh finish pay fa yet.”

Duane Moody
“What are you guys going to do?”

Taxi Operator # 4
“Well, we had to just raise the taxi price too because we started to charge seven dollars.”

Duane Moody
“Okay, before what was it that you guys charged?”

Taxi Operator # 4
“Between six and five. Right now we can’t charge five; it have to be seven and six.”

Duane Moody
“I do know that how it’s not only the gas that is up, but then you also have to service your vehicle noh?”

Taxi Operator # 4
“Correct, because they all the same price. Nothing went down; everything went up, up, up. What I see, only in Belize the price go up, in a no country the gas go up because oil is the same price only this prime minister in Belize, he raise everything up.”

Duane Moody
“If the prices for gasoline goes up, what are you guys going to do? Raise it higher?”

Taxi Operator # 5
“We have to go higher yes, cause otherwise we can’t mek it.”

Duane Moody
“So you saying that you’re operating at a lost?

Taxi Operator # 5
“Definitely, because sometimes only one or two rounds and the gallon gone and you no make back yoh money.”

Duane Moody
“Do you think it’s maybe possible that the price may even go up higher?”

Taxi Operator # 3
“Well a lot of people are insinuating that; that it is definitely going to reach ten dollars in a couple months or whatever but we will have to make some changes if we reach to that point.”

Duane Moody
“And if that happens?”

Taxi Operator # 3
“I noh know weh we have to do. Maybe we have to go demonstrate.”