AMMAN —
Yellow Cabs and shuttle taxi drivers rejected a
government subsidy offer to help them cope with rising fuel prices, saying it
was “unfair” and failed to adequately compensate them.
اضافة اعلان
Mohammad
Shehadeh Al-Hadid, vice-president of the General Syndicate of Owners of Public
Cars and Taxi Offices, said he “rejected” the fuel subsidy offer by the
Land Transport Regulatory commission (LTRC) because “it is completely unfair”.
“We had asked
LTRC for JD3 in assistance per day, but it insisted on JD2, which we rejected,”
Hadid told
Jordan News.
“Eventually,
LTRC said it would pay only JD1.7, which is even less than what we initially
rejected,” he pointed out.
The head of
another syndicate, this one is not recognized by the Jordanian government,
termed LTRC’s subsidy plan a “coup against drivers”.
“The decision was taken with disdain for the
drivers,” declared Suleiman Al-Siryani, head of the Independent Syndicate of
Public Drivers.
Both said LTRC’s
offer covered yellow cabs and white shuttles, which operate designated routes,
and are commonly known as “service”.
Earlier this
week, LTRC Director-General Tariq Habashneh said that JD5 million was allocated
to aid those working in the public transportation sector, like buses, and white
and yellow cabs.
Speaking on the
Public Security Directorate Radio, Habashneh said that ridesharing apps are not
covered by the government’s assistance.
He said the aid
will be distributed on public transportation operators in the form of coupons,
which will be used to fill fuel at all gas stations.
The value of the
subsidy, he said, will vary from one public transportation operator to another,
depending on the length of the route. For example, he said buses that travel
more than 150kms will be allocated JD200, while yellow cabs will be given JD50.
Habashneh said
the support will be granted for six months, disbursed in two payments. He said
that more information about the aid coupon and its distribution mechanism will
be given soon.
Hadid said his
syndicate also rejected LTRC’s mechanism of subsidy distribution. “We suggested
that the support comes through coupons given to the vehicle’s license plate
number, not for the owner, or the driver because drivers change each day.”
“But LTRC did
not even adopt this method,” he contended.
Abla Weshah,
LTRC’s director of Media and Communications said the support to drivers “comes
with the vehicle number and the name of the vehicle owner.”
She said the
owner “is the recipient of the support and he can authorize the driver
operating his vehicle.”
“We met more
than once to listen to their (syndicate’s) point of view, and we reached a
compromise formula to satisfy all parties, and our doors are open to receive
any objection and listen to their views on the decision,” she added.
Hadid said that
the distinction between taxis and buses in LTRC’s offer “is unfair, given that
diesel, which is used by many buses, is cheaper than gasoline.”
As for the distances
traveled, a cab travels longer distances of up to 400km per day, which “makes
taxis worthy of the same value of the subsidy granted to buses”, he maintained.
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