People encouraged to dob in PMVs that break rules

The National National

THE general public must report any public motor vehicle (PMV) that does not complete its designated routes and are overcharging passengers.
Road Traffic Authority chief executive Nelson Terema said when making report, take note of the registration number, time and route of the PMV.
Terema said on the first offence, RTA will call the PMV owners and give them a warning.
“The second, a written warning will be given, after that we will suspend the driver’s licence,” he said.
“The fourth time we just cancel the licence and that is the normal process.”
Terema said the onus lies with the general public to lodge complaint with RTA.
“We can’t be on the road all the time.”
He said fares and charges comes under the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) while the enforcement part of it falls with RTA.
Meanwhile, PMV Association president Jack Waso is calling PMVs to stick to the routes they were supposed to service.
He said it was the responsibility of traffic police and RTA to make sure PMVs were completing their routes. “Commuters too must report what they see wrong in order to fix this small issue once and for all,” he said.
According to the law that governs PMVs and taxis, the maximum PMV fares for urban and non-urban routes in each provincial
town are adjusted annually based on movements in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the retail price of diesel in each of those centres.
The maximum PMV fares for the urban routes this year are:

  • Port Moresby – K1 adult for passenger (increase of 10 toea);
  • Alotau – 90 toea for adult passenger (no change);
  • Popondetta – 80 toea for adult passenger (increase of 10 toea);
  • Lae – 90 toea for adult passenger (increase of 10 toea);
  • Goroka – 80 toea for adult passenger (increase of 10 toea); and
  • Kokopo – 90 toea for adult passenger (increase of 10 toea).

The increase in PMV fares this year is due to the increase in the retail price diesel and the CPI as determined by the National Statistics Office.