Passengers complain of exploitation by taxi drivers – 85 pct Kuwait Twitter users do not support decision to hike fuel prices

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KUWAIT CITY, Sept 2: About 85 percent of the Kuwaiti Twitter users are not in support of the government’s decision to increase fuel prices, reports Al-Qabas daily.

Based on a study carried out by the newspaper, 57.4 percent of the Kuwaiti Twitter users discussed the issue within a social framework and proved that the increase in fuel prices will negatively affect the welfare of the society as a whole.

The study revealed that 27.8 percent are angry about the decision, 16.7 percent are depressed and 29.6 percent mocked the government for taking such a decision which reflects the fact that citizens can do nothing but accept the decision. About 30.3 percent of the Twitter users lamented about mismanagement of the country’s affairs.

Many taxi drivers have been blatantly increasing the taxi fares by 50 – 75 percent as they please, due to absence of monitoring by Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Commerce and Industry, reports Al-Rai daily.

Taxi owners are trying to compensate for the increased fuel prices by directly attacking the pockets of passengers. According to a study conducted by the daily, many taxis are still using the old meters which are not programmed with the new rates.

Due to the absence of meters or updated meters, the taxi drivers take passengers based on a pre-agreed amount, which is almost double the actual rate in certain instances. Several passengers complained about facing exploitation by taxi drivers, urging the concerned authorities to curb the greediness of taxi drivers and owners.

Restaurant owners and companies are scheming to increase the prices of meals and sandwiches in order to cover the delivery service costs, reports Al-Rai daily. Several restaurant owners demanded for an increase in the delivery service charges due to the additional expenses incurred by them because of the increased fuel prices.

They stressed the need for Ministry of Commerce and Industry to intervene in this matter immediately so that the charges can be amended depending on the areas. The restaurant owners revealed that delivery of a large number of orders will affect the budget allotted for this service, indicating their intention to provide delivery service for orders of values not less than KD 4 or KD 5.

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