But that is the system - route taxis are a system that starts on the street level and gets developed by the people. They had a taxi association, they pay dues and are vetted. That's why you look for the red plate. They even have depots where they can check in and passengers are discharged to connect with taxis that run other routes, ie Sav, etc. When I was in Ghana, the transportation was exactly the same except the little buses were called tro-tros, In Haiti, they are tap-taps. I have encountered the same exact system in St. Lucia. This is not an exploitation. It is their system. It is a people driven solution to meet transportation needs when the government infrastructure cannot provide a reliable, formal mass transit system.

The cab you take to the Hi-Lo is not missing a fare to Mayfield Falls if it is a matter of him simply running his route. It a taxi man chooses to take a private run to the grocery store, you don't owe him for the bigger fare he may have missed. That's just how the business is. There is no need for paternalism, they have their own system and run enterprise their own way. Just like us.