Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Complaints over the drastic increase of taxi rates, alleged to have been imposed by the Taxi Owner Association (TOA) — referred to as TOA Taxi stand — located next to the Tafuna Health Center, have reached the Attorney General’s Office, which is working with the Commerce Commission (CC) and the Department of Commerce (DOC) to address this matter.

This is according to a notice signed by DOC director Keniseli Lafaele and released by his office to the local media last Friday afternoon, two hours after Samoa News sent emailed questions to the director, following mounting public complaints against some drivers of TOA Taxi stand, which opened for business in October 2017.

Samoa News received complaints about TOA Taxi stand imposing a much higher taxi-rate than what is published by the ASG CC, the ASG entity that regulates public transportation — such as taxis and aiga buses, which includes setting fare rates.

Those who complained to Samoa News asked when had taxi rates increased, and whether the Commerce Commission, which is chaired by Lafaele, had held any public hearings on such hikes.

Samoa News was unable to obtain a copy of TOA Taxi Stand’s alleged rate hike sheet.

On behalf of the CC and ASG, the DOC “requests the public to completely disregard new rates issued by the TOA Taxi Association or any other organization for that matter,” Lafaele said in the public notice, which reiterated that the CC is the only authorized entity to revise commercial transportation rates in American Samoa.

“We respectfully ask the public to please report and document any overcharging by any taxi operator, including recording the taxi vehicle’s license plate number, taxi driver’s name, and time and place — including route — of occurrence,” it says.

According to the notice, DOC is working with the CC and the Attorney General’s office “to address this matter, including consideration of revoking a driver’s commercial permit — taxi driver’s license — and certificate of convenience, the certificate that allows a vehicle to carry passengers.

“The information and evidence from the public will certainly help facilitate actions to be taken by the government,” it says.

For more information on this matter, please contact DOC’s Economic Development Division at 633-5155.

When contacted via cell phone early Friday afternoon for comments, TOA association president Tuitama'i Emanuelu Ulberg confirmed their taxi rate hikes were implemented Wednesday but he asked to call back as he was on the road, taking a passenger.

However, when contacted three hours later — by this time, the DOC notice was already made public — Tuitama'i quickly stated that he was advised by a lawyer not to respond to anything.

Two of the complaints against TOA Taxi for allegedly hiking rates, came directly from Samoa News staff who use taxis frequently in the Tafuna area. And complaints received by Samoa News included that taxi drivers of TOA Taxi have told passengers that fares were increased but they don’t have a fare-rate sheet in their taxi.

(Samoa News was also told that TOA allegedly ran ads on one of the local radio stations announcing their rates hike to the public.)

Samoa News staff had challenged the taxi drivers, who gave them similar statements about the fare hike and that the rate sheet is at the taxi stand’s main office in Tafuna.

One example of the alleged fare hike is that — the previous fare from Kokoland to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ottoville was $5 one-way, but the new TOA Taxi rate is $10 one-way.

On Jan. 1, 2013, new rules went into effect after the CC concluded several public hearings.

They included that commercial passenger vehicles are to provide their rate schedule to passengers upon request, according to public information on DOC website (www.doc.as.gov), which also provides the 2011 four-page fare sheet for both taxi and buses.

Copies of the rate sheet are also available at the DOC office, third floor of the A.P. Lutali Executive Office building in Utulei.

(Click on attachment below to download 2011 fare sheet.)

While taxi fares have not increased, two taxi owners — who are not part of the TOA Taxi stand — told Samoa News over the weekend that the CC “should seriously” consider a review and increase of the fares.

“Cost of operating a taxi has increased drastically over the past years since the 2011 rates. The costliest side of operating a taxi is spare parts, which — many times are ordered from off island and the freight itself is very costly,” said one of the taxi owners.

The other owner noted that the “wear and tear” on a taxi operating 24/7 is costly, not to mention, “We also deal with government fees and insurance. So those costs add up,” the owner said.

BACKGROUND

As previously reported by Samoa News, the nearly one-acre ASG land in Tafuna, occupied by TOA Taxi stand, is part of a land exchange deal between American Samoa and the Samoa government, which has leased it to TOA Taxi to use and maintain until the Samoa Government decides on how best to use the land.

In exchange, the Samoa government has given ASG, a parcel of land at the Vailima area of Apia. ASG is still exploring ways to use the property in Samoa.