The pedestrian terminal is one of the busiest places in Phuentshogling town. With several people passing through the station every day, it has also become one of the main places for taxi drivers to get passengers. However, the lack of a nearby designated taxi parking has made it inconvenient for both passengers and cab drivers.
Hundreds of people enter and exit the terminal every day.
And on the road next to it, is a line of taxis. Some have come to drop off passengers at the terminal while some are in search of customers.
Without a proper parking place, most taxis stop by the side of the road. But this is not allowed as it disrupts the smooth flow of traffic.
While it is only inconvenient for the passengers, cabbies claim they pay a much heftier price. They say they are often fined by the traffic police if they stop on the roadside.
But they take the risk because not doing so means losing business.
“When we go to drop passengers at the terminal, sometimes they have many baggage. And we don’t get enough time to even take out the baggage. Traffic police won’t allow us to stop even for a while. If authorities could designate a proper space for us, it would be very convenient,” said Kiba Choden, a taxi driver.
“We are having a lot of issues as we do not have a designated parking near the terminal. It would be convenient if there were a few parking spaces for us. Bhutanese go across the border for shopping and they come back with a lot of baggage,” said Tshering Dorji, another taxi driver.
“Some police allow the vehicles to stop for a longer time when they know the driver. This is one of the main areas for pick and drop, so if they allow us to stop for a few minutes, we can drop off and pick up passengers,” said Karma Tshering, who is also a taxi driver.
According to the Thromde Office, they were not aware of the issue. The Thrompon said the parking operation and management were outsourced way before the construction of the terminal and that there aren’t any plans to construct a parking area as of now.
Kinley Dem, Phuentshogling
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
