RIYADH: The Ministry of Transport has warned that taxi drivers found raising fares will lose their licenses and the company will also be penalized for the violations.

Commuters and shoppers have complained about taxi drivers raising fares by about 50 percent following the increase in gasoline prices, following which the drivers are under the lens, an official at the ministry said here on Monday.

He revealed that observers also follow up on the matter with local limousine companies in order to fulfill their commitments like implementation of regulations recently issued by the ministry, which include not hiking fares and the installation of meters governed by official rates.

Asked about those found guilty of violations, he said that a fine on the taxi company will be imposed for violating the rules for first time and licenses will be withdrawn for repeat offense.

The regulations include drivers and owners of individual taxis as well. They, too, will be fined in case of first violation and their licenses will be canceled if the offense is repeated.

When Arab News spoke to commuters, they said that taxi operators are charging extra, sometime raising fares by 50 percent.

An Asian family shopping on the weekend at a city market, said, “Yes the drivers are charging more now, claiming fuel prices have gone up.”

“We used to pay SR20 to come here from home but now they don’t agree for less than SR30,” they said, adding that drivers start asking double the fare. “When you disagree, they come down, but even then it is more than what we paid earlier.”

Faisal Tago, a student at the Filipino school here, said, “Going to school from my home in Malaz used to cost SR15, but now they are charging SR25.”

Some taxi drivers, however, rejected the claim that they were charging more and said they were complying with the regulations of the ministry.

Many other taxi drivers, on the condition of anonymity, confessed that they are charging more now, saying that not only has the price of gasoline increased, also their companies have raised the weekly amount to be paid to them by the drivers.

The ministry has not only warned against taxi fare hikes by putting in place specific prices, but also urged citizens and expatriates to report violations.

Earlier, in December the Cabinet approved increases in the pump prices of gasoline and the octane-91 rose from 45 to 75 halalas, while octane-95 increased from 60 to 90 halalas.