The lifespan of operation of taxis will soon be increased to 12 years from nine years. The Prime Minister said the quality of the vehicles is more important than the number of years. The government will also discuss the parking space allocation for taxis in four major thromdes.
Having met with the officials from the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC), the prime minister will now consult with the Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA) to increase the lifespan of taxis.
“They wanted the life span of the cab to 12 years, so we agreed in principle. Now we are going to talk to RSTA to relook into this. And then we will strictly inspect the roadworthiness of their cars and not by a number of years because the quality matters,” Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering said.
The government pledged to meet with taxi tshogpa, thromde representatives and other agencies to address issues facing taxi drivers over the age of vehicles and parking space in four months time.
“Taxi Parking should be given in prime locations and public places, not in corners of the thromdes or wherever convenient. So we are in the process of talking with major thromdes and try to address taxis’ issues,” the prime minister said.
The four major thromdes includes Thimphu, Gelephu, Samdrupjongkhar and Phuntsholing. This is one of the government’s 25 pledges in 120 days.
