BEIRUT: The government threatened Friday to cancel the license of any taxi or minibus driver who refuses to comply with official rates.

This move came following a meeting headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Grand Serail and attended by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and Public Works and Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi along with representatives of the transportation and public buses unions.

The government took the decision after some minibus drivers shut the roads in the southern suburbs with burning tires and rocks to protest the attempts of Aridi to enforce the old fares on all the drivers.

Sources said that many minibus drivers called off their strike and removed all roadblocks after the government threatened to revoke the licenses of striking drivers.

Some of the minibus drivers had raised their fares from LL1,000 to LL1,500 per passenger under the pretext of high gasoline prices.

The Finance Ministry agreed three months ago to subsidize bus and taxi drivers in an attempt to alleviate the high cost of fuel for the drivers.

“One of the big bus transportation companies committed the grand sin when it unlawfully hiked the rates, although they realize the government had subsidized the cost of fuel three months ago,” Aridi told reporters at the Serail.

He added that the ministry is willing to discuss the grievances of all drivers in an open mind but it will not tolerate any person who acts on his own and without consulting the ministry.

“The drivers have the right to strike but they don’t have the right to close the roads and force the passengers out of the minibuses and taxis,” Aridi said.

He added that the behavior of some taxi and minibus drivers is appalling, noting that some passengers were assaulted just because they were riding other cabs and minibuses.

Aridi called for a meeting with the finance minister and drivers unions to discuss the surge of gasoline prices.