A veteran taxi driver believes there are not enough roads in Samoa to cater for the increasing number of vehicles being brought into the country.

Faasoo Tauloa, 67, of Vaivase-Uta abandoned life as a taxi driver in Apia over 23 years ago and just got back behind the wheel three days ago. One of the founders of the DB taxi stand in Vaivase, his wife was the reason he quit being a taxi driver over two decades ago, but he has returned to driving after she passed on. 

In an interview with the Samoa Observer, Mr. Tauloa said returning to the road after over two decades has surprised him, due to the changes in public roads, vehicle numbers, traffic congestion, and public transport fares.

"It's a different feeling coming back to this job after 23 years and seeing so much has changed which I have to adapt myself to," said the veteran taxi driver. "Like heavy traffic every morning and evening on particular roads, but mostly almost every road, the cost of the fares, and this is because of the number of vehicles on the road now.

"Back then, there were only a very few cars on the road and there was never traffic particularly on this side (N.U.S.) and up at Vailima coming down and even in town and now there's traffic everywhere."

According to Mr. Tauloa, he was a taxi driver all his life until the turn of the century in 2000, when he decided to quit and stay home to look after his family. 

"I quit and stayed home to look after my family and although I did some pick-ups now and then during those 23 years, I stopped eventually and just stayed home and looked after my wife until she passed away recently.

"So I decided to come back and drive again and it's an eye-opening experience, heavy traffic every morning after only three days coming back because there are a lot of cars in Samoa now. There were only a few taxis back then too and now quite a huge number of taxi vehicles not only here but also at other stands."

Traffic congestion has become a problem in Samoa with long vehicle queues around selected traffic lights in Apia becoming the norm, especially during the early morning and afternoon peak hours from Monday to Friday. 

Land Transport Authority (L.T.A.) Chief Executive Officer, Galumalemana Taatialeoititi Schwalger – in response to questions from this newspaper last month on whether the lack of control on vehicle imports is worsening Apia's traffic congestion problem – said the L.T.A. had no control over the number of cars coming into Samoa.