Taxi association president Rabby Syed yesterday said CNMI residents, including guest workers, can still avail of the discounted fare.
He said the suspension of the promotional fare will only affect tourists.
“The decline in the arrival of tourists has affected our income,” Syed said.
Residents who want to avail of the promotional fare may present any of their identification cards to prove they are not tourists, he added.
According to Syed, their group will announce later if it decides to lift the suspension of the promotional fare for tourists.
During the month-long implementation of the program, Syed said tourists appreciated their group’s efforts and commended them for providing a discounted fare.
But due to the decrease in the number of tourists, Syed said, they have no other recourse but to again charge tourists the actual tax flag down rate of $2.50 with an additional 75 cents per quarter of a mile.
He is urging residents to continue patronizing the taxi business to help boost the tourism industry on island.
Syed said members of the Saipan City Taxi Association recently attended a workshop conducted by the Northern Marianas Protection & Advocacy Systems Inc, are now ready to serve passengers with disabilities.
