Several residents of Herat province have expressed concern over the compulsory change of taxi colors in the city. They argue that while people are struggling to make ends meet, the Taliban are focused on painting taxis, which offers no benefit to the public. The Taliban have warned all taxi owners that if they do not comply with the group’s orders, their taxis will be confiscated, and they will face penalties.
Taxi drivers in Herat describe this Taliban action as “oppressive,” stating that while they struggle to earn a livelihood, the Taliban are pursuing their interests by enforcing the taxi color change.
Some taxi drivers claim that unemployment has severely affected their profession. According to them, poverty and hunger dominate their lives, and due to the oppressive actions of the Taliban, they are forced to borrow money to repaint their taxis.
Meanwhile, other taxi drivers in this province accuse the Taliban of extorting them under the pretext of repainting their taxis. They allege that the Taliban are colluding with contracting companies responsible for the repainting and are receiving kickbacks.
Ramin (pseudonym), a taxi driver in Herat province, says that the Taliban collect money from citizens under various pretexts. According to him, after their income from shopkeepers under the guise of travel permits and taxes decreased, the Taliban have now resorted to repainting city taxis in the province. This taxi driver accuses the Taliban of “stealing the people’s livelihood,” claiming that the group seeks to keep its hands in the pockets of the people and sustain itself on their suffering.
Ramin told the Hasht-e Subh Daily, “Since the Taliban came to power, they implement a new scheme daily to extort and plunder the people. They have emptied our pockets through taxes, travel permits, municipal charges, and other fees. Now they have returned, demanding that we repaint our taxis.”
Herat taxi drivers assert that governance cannot be sustained through “begging and extortion” from citizens. According to them, the repainting company charges 9,500 Afghanis per vehicle. They must also have their cars “repaired” before repainting, which costs an additional 5,000 Afghanis.
These taxi drivers emphasize that amid persistent unemployment and poverty, they are forced to spend 15,000 to 16,000 Afghanis on repainting their vehicles, while their daily income is only 250 to 300 Afghanis. They describe the Taliban’s actions as oppressive and coercive.
The taxi drivers in Herat province say the Taliban have contracted with the company named “Static” to repaint the city’s taxis, leading to significant expenses for them.
Elias, another taxi driver in Herat, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily, “The Taliban told us to repaint our taxis only at the company they specify, stating that other companies are not authorized, and their colors are not acceptable.” This taxi driver adds, “The Herat traffic management authority is 100% corrupt and collaborates with this company, having contracted solely with it. This company charges us 9,500 Afghanis per taxi for repainting, while the actual cost is only 5,000 Afghanis. This means that the “Static” company overcharges us 4,500 Afghanis per taxi.”
These concerns arise as the Taliban have contracted with a single company for repainting taxis in the province of Herat. This action has slowed the repainting process and created opportunities for corruption and extortion by the Taliban.
Ahmad Shoaib, another driver in Herat, says, “God has made our nation miserable by placing the Taliban in power over us. This is intolerable! This group is only money-driven. The traffic manager said he would schedule taxis for repainting, but the work progresses slowly since there is only one company. While we waited our turn, they seized our taxis, taking them to the traffic management, and now we cannot even work.”
This taxi driver adds, “I went to the traffic management office. To retrieve my taxi, I had to pay a transport fee of 1,100 Afghanis and an additional 700 to 800 Afghanis under duress. As you see, this is the Taliban’s so-called Islamic government.”
The Taliban in Herat province have admitted that they contracted with only one company for repainting taxis but argue that the company’s repainting meets their standards and regulations.
Residents of Herat have previously complained about extortion, corruption, and forced payments in the province’s Traffic Management Authority. According to them, due to the lack of accountability and rule of law, corruption and theft are on the rise in Taliban-controlled offices.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
تغییر رنگ تاکسیها و اعتراض تاکسیداران؛ طالبان اخاذی و رشوهستانی میکنند | روزنامه ۸صبح
