Open letter to the L.T.A. chief

To the C.E.O of L.T.A.,

How about a $1,000 or maybe $2,000 for those stupid lights on some of the vehicles? Is there a measure or guard against the ‘hot heads’ thinking of abusing the system? 

You know and I know $100 is pennies to the very people who can afford to abuse the system. I can just walk in and apply, and use my friend’s plantation as a reason in case you want to do and inspection. 

The kind of abuse that is borderline to corruption I mean, or farmers that put lights up there for show and use his old-bomb for plantation work. The additional lights I suggest should be the ones that is removable and can be swiveled around for the purpose checking out the plantations not the fix kind mounted on the roll bars or the front guard that has no use in the plantation other then for show. Those are the abusive ones. 

As for taxis, there are far too many taxis around that are congesting the roads. 

It is not helping the country out in foreign exchange bringing all these cars in for the purpose of converting them to taxis. 

There should be a fixed number of taxis’ permitted to work the roads in Upolu and in Savai’i. On the top of that a taxi with a current WoF on the roads should be no older than the date you’ve put up, ie 8 years old. Any older immediately defaults it’s license. 

I’m trying to think of a system whereby a taxi owner is accountable in the case of a sub-standard service or an accident. 

Members of the public shouldn’t have to suffer the consequence of an accident whereby an individual taxi owners can’t afford the expensive maintenance for the victims let alone his own his own vehicles and lives on board. 

A credit system is the way to go with big taxi companies but that will end up with the fat cats ie the banks and the insurance companies eating all the profits instead of the individuals. 

The buses. The country is spend millions in the past on bus stops yet non of the buses’ obeying it. It is annoying to the driving public tailing a bus that stops in front of everybody’s home to drop off or pickup. Establish a circumference of discipline. When a bus crosses that point ie.. Vaiusu inbound to Apia, he only stops at the mandatory bus stop from hours of 7am to 7pm. No exceptions. Slam him on the head with an instant $1000 fine as a deterred measure. 

Three failures and the vehicle is impounded for a month. 

Finally for now, who is is guarding you as the regulators from abusing the system? Your friend comes and apply for a taxi license and his name goes on the top of the list. Invent a system where this can be transparent. 

Names should be published every month on who’s getting the permit. How disciplined are your officers on the roads? 

Some of them are showing off like they are ex- military from watching too many dvd’s. We want discipline on the roads and you’re the man to do it.

 

Steve R.

Samoa Observer

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