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Taxis to have uniform colours
Feb 9 2012
New taxis will now have to be either red or white in color with yellow top. The Road Safety and Transport Authority, RSTA, introduced this rule to maintain uniformity of taxi colour code in the country. However, this has left many taxi drivers unhappy.
The RSTA has introduced this from January 1. Most of the taxi drivers and owners said they came to know about the rule only from the car dealers. They also added that it is unclear why the RSTA have selected the colour red and white. Some of the taxi operators are of the view that the color red and white are the least sold car colors.
“They did not even held meeting to consult with us and did not issue any notification,” said Dorji Wangchuk, one of the taxi driver.
Another taxi driver, Tshering Dorji, said that it was ‘our belief’ that the colour of the cars should match one of the five elements or kham that a person bears. “For instance, if the person’s kham is water then the colour should be blue.”
The RSTA regional and base offices have been advised to strictly adhere to the instructions and will not register any taxis that do not follow the approved colour. However, the rule will not apply to the existing taxis. They will be allowed to drive the current taxis till the end of their life span, which is eight years from the date of registration.
Regarding the allegations made by some of the taxi drivers that they have not been consulted, the Senior Transport Officer, Prem P Adhikari, said that the RSTA being an authority have a clear upper hand in policy making. “We have also informed them through notification through Media.”
About 118 taxis have been registered last month alone. There are more than 3,300 taxis in Thimphu alone.
There is no meaning for RSTA to make uniformity for Taxis color as an duties and responsibilities. But RSTA in other hand have major activities to handled before the traffic problems. Just with modification of Taxis color cannot bring down the safety measures instead the public in general will be discouraging and mistrusting the RSTA………
OR RSTA should address the cabbies regarding the issue and inconvenience beforehand
I feel there is no problem with the taxi colour as such, but the problem is with the UNIFORM TAXI FARE, I have came across with many different types of TAXI RATE just going to same place and same distance. This is the main issue at the moment, so It will be more effective if concern person could look into this issue to help Taxi owners as well as passenger .
i’m of a opinion rather than fixing the uniformity of taxi colors, what if they monitor the taxi fares they have fixed. They always comes with a new rule while they fail to monitor consistently the existing rules. Though taxis have the RSTA rates with themselves they don’t charge the passenger’s according to it.
It’s a wise decision made by the RSTA but on the other hand, i feel there is in need for timely checking of vehicle fitness. Some vehicles are plying without brake light, no headlight etc. Its better save than sorry.
fixing taxi colur may be ok( LIKE BOMBAY HAS ONE COLOUR FOR ALL TAXIS) but why not include the present taxis.. this way the so called colour code will be a failure….. but one is amazed at the fixed colour /fixed names for public buses… meto, dug, khorlo ect.. what was wrong with earlier individual names? what was acheived by this one? ACTUALLY NOTHING. is there a study done on this?
any way the main mandate of the agencies must be to think about uniform colours and less about public safety, prices,convenuence, individual innovation… ect…