Faleolo Airport Taxis Overcharge Tourists
Savalalo Market and Bus Terminal
Photo: Eyespyradio 87.5 FM
Tourists currently enjoying the scenery of our beautiful country have voiced their disapproval of how they've been taken advantage of by some "taxi" drivers operating at the Samoa International Airport in Faleolo.
A couple from New Zealand currently in Samoa are unhappy with how foreign visitors are being exploited by taxi drivers at the Faleolo airport.
"The taxi that transported us from the airport to Apia charged $130 tala. I asked another taxi driver in town about how much the fare was and he said that it costs around $75 tala.
The couple from New Zealand Arrived yesterday afternoon had asked the taxi driver to drop them off to their destinatination but the driver told them he couldn’t as the roads were bad.
The taxi driver then dropped the visitors off to the Savalalo bus terminal and had told them to catch the bus to their accomodation.
This is not the first time eyespyradio had received a complaint form visitors about Taxi drivers at the airport overcharging them.
This does not look good for Samoa as the economy is recovering from the covid19 epidemic that closed its boarders including the rest of the world for almost 3 years.
The authorities should look into the matter as it does not look good for Samoa. Faleolo airport is the gate way into Samoa and visitors arriving on their first day to have such an experience will only paint a good picture for tourism in general.
Another first time visitor also from New Zealand who did not wish to be named stated during an interview with Eyespy Radio that he loves Samoa, however, he is very disappointed with the customer service of taxi drivers transporting passengers from the Faleolo International Airport.
The unhappy tourist said that when he landed at the Faleolo Airport back in January 4, he then approached three different taxi drivers and asked them how much the fare was to an accommodation located in Siumu.
“The first taxi driver I approached said that it'll cost $150 tala, so I approached a second taxi cab driver and asked him how much the fare to Siumu would cost. Then I saw the first driver who I approached earlier say something in Samoan to the second driver, who also charged $150 tala for the trip," he said.
The tourist said that the third driver he approached who identified himself only as Michael, agreed to drive him to Siumu for a fare of $100 tala.
"The first driver then “yelled” something out to Michael in Samoan as we were leaving the airport,", the visitor said.
Michael told his passenger that the first driver said to charge $300 tala for the trip.
"The ride to Siumu was as troubling as my search for transport outside the airport terminal," he conveyed. "The driver drove unusually slow," stated the visitor, "Often stopping the car to ask me which way to go."
At one point, the visitor pulled up a map of Upolu on his phone to assist the driver who was unsure how to get to his accommodation in Siumu. It was the visitor who instructed his driver to turn into Leulumoega Road to get to Siumu.
"The driver said he did not know the location of the accommodation I wanted to go to." “He kept asking for directions. On the drive there he kept saying it was a really long trip and he would normally charge $300. He told me his petrol was low and he needed to feed his family.
He kept trying to make me feel guilty. I was uncomfortable,” stated the distraughted visitor.
A taxi driver from the Togoaasa Taxi Stand in Moata'a, 32-year-old Dhaka Amataga stated that these taxi drivers preying on tourists are giving taxi drivers around Samoa a bad reputation.
"The normal fare from the airport to town costs $70 tala, $65 tala for the fare and $5 tala for the terminal entrance fee."
Another taxi driver from Togoa'asa, Ulatifa Afato, also said that this sort of behaviour by these taxis should stop. "The drivers doing this to tourists should be referred to the Police," he said.