Illegal taxis have taken over our business, PAT chairman laments

Chairman of Painted Abuja Taxis (PAT), Comrade Shehu Shugaba Yar’Adua, has cried out that the operators of unpainted and unregistered taxis have taken over their business in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In an interview with our reporter at the weekend, Yar’Adua noted that the activities of unpainted taxis, also known as Kabu Kabu in FCT, have become too rampant in every market within the territory, while government is not doing anything to stop them.

He pointed out that some members of Painted Abuja Taxis have converted their cars to unpainted status, because they feel that the unpainted and unregistered cars make more money than the painted and registered ones.

Chairman of PAT therefore called on the ministerial taskforce to intervene and intensify its arrest and clampdown on unregistered taxis on Abuja streets to ensure security and safety of commuters.

Yar’Adua also lamented that members of the ministerial taskforce have introduced various ways of extorting money from PAT members, just as he called on the director of FCT Road Traffic Services, Bodinga Wadata, to caution his members.

“They should allow the painted taxis in the city to do their work, so that you don’t discourage them to go back to the unpainted taxis status. We are calling on them to stop harassing our members,” he said.

He also appealed to the chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Abdullahi Adamu Candido, not to introduce any other charge on PAT members except the daily ticketing of N200.

“We learnt that AMAC wants to introduce new charges on our members in the name generating revenue. This is not acceptable to us. We are appealing to the AMAC chairman, Hon. Abdullahi Adamu Candido, not to allow this. We have sensitised our members not to patronise any other charge, except the daily ticketing,” he added.