Taxi fares have now been officially raised, but some Corporate Area taxi drivers were informally charging passengers higher fares in the face of rising operating costs, ahead of the announcement of a staggered fare hike for drivers by Transport Minister Daryl Vaz on Tuesday. The long-delayed 16 per cent rate increase owed to public passenger vehicle (PPV) operators by the Government since 2023 was officially approved in two batches of eight per cent over June and July 2026. But some cabbies told the Observer they had already implemented an increase.