-Jagdeo
Government has set an August 2010 deadline for all taxis to have one colour with easily identifiable and appropriate logos, promising a two-year waiver of licensing and radio frequency fees for those who comply early.
Those who do not fit into the regularization move would find themselves in trouble with the police, President Bharrat Jagdeo cautioned yesterday during a meeting with stakeholders in the industry at the International Conference Centre, Liliendaal. The operators are to meet representatives of the Home Affairs Ministry shortly for a consensus on what the colour will be.
To facilitate the process, Jagdeo said, he will discuss with the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) the matter of granting concessions for spray paint and some sort of package is to be worked out with companies which do spray painting.
Further, he revealed an intention to put aside sufficient resources to fund an education programme for taxi drivers, providing basic knowledge about the country with some amount of first aid training as well, as suggested by one driver.
There was not much criticism of the announcement from those present, even though the cost factor was discussed and a call was made for the industry to receive the kind of recognition it deserves.
Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee and Tourism Minister Manniram Prashad were present at the meeting which also touched on a range of issues affecting taxi drivers, most prominent among them, police harassment.
Before declaring the discussion open, Jagdeo informed that the country’s image was changing from primarily one that was a Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) to one that “can pay its way”. He said too that the country is in “the forefront of climate change and there will be spin-off benefits”, which will be reflected in growth in many industries.
He emphasized that the taxi service industry was one that had to prepare itself and unless this was done, Guyana would be lagging behind its regional counterparts.
Jagdeo told the taxi drivers and service operators that proposals which have reached him range from prohibiting passenger seating in the front of the vehicle; mandating a glass divider inside the vehicle which separates the passenger and driver and also making compulsory the installation of tracking devices on cars. A metered system in place of the fixed charges for routes was also proposed, Jagdeo revealed, as well as the need for some standard uniform for all taxi drivers.
According to him, many of those proposals will require investment, but he said one which he had to make compulsory is the uniformity of all vehicles. He backed his proposal as one which would allow for easier identification of taxis wherever they are; would be helpful to the security forces and would also enhance the safety of drivers and passengers. Since 2002, hundreds of taxi drivers have been attacked and some murdered. Taxis have also been used in the execution of a wide range of crimes.
All the other proposals, Jagdeo said, would be treated as voluntary.
He stressed that at present the aim was to apply minimum standards to improve the service, but said that there will come a time when requirements would become more rigid.
No duty-free
Meanwhile, Jagdeo was firm in his stance that no duty-free concessions would be granted to taxi drivers, following a query from a representative of R&T Taxi Service.
The representative said he believed the taxi service industry was a free enterprise in which many have made sacrifices, and so to effect a mandatory colour change would bring tremendous expense. He asked Jagdeo whether there was any proposal for duty-free concessions to be granted to the industry. He further suggested that some consideration be given to ensuring that the persons granted hire car licences are of the right age, with the requisite years of driving experience.
Jagdeo said duty-free concessions would not be considered and stated that while some will resist regularization, the requirements would have been greater if public transport was to be placed under the purview of the Public Utilities Commission.
However, he took in good stead the proposal for the police force to consider conducting tighter scrutiny of persons who are granted hire car licences, since far too many times when accidents happen, many question how the drivers involved were able to acquire licences in the first place.
The R&T representative also said that while the new demand is being put on taxi drivers, the industry was not being given the recognition it deserved as being so important to the development of tourism.
He then referred to the harassment of taxi drivers by traffic police officers, saying that while minibuses were given specific stops there were none for taxi drivers, who are often chased from areas where they could do business. He said one example was outside the Providence stadium. Many taxis are chased away by police ranks or asked to quickly drop off patrons at events and leave. The President urged Minister Rohee to look into the issue of the relationship between taxi service providers and the police. He noted the calls for specific drop-off and pick-up zones around the city, particularly during peak seasons.
The President said the regularization of taxis could lead to the establishment of a police standing order, which would allow for taxis at events to be parked in a designated order. He agreed that once taxis comply with the new rule they must be protected and allowed to ply their trade.
Pirates
“But what of pirates who hijack our turf?” one representative from the Airport Taxi Association asked Jagdeo. The man said though there is an established association at the airport, there are many taxi drivers who just show up there and are able to solicit passengers ahead of association members. He said the airport authorities have done nothing to help them even though the matter is raised at every meeting. He pointed out that all 47 members of the association pay $6,300 yearly and also pay separate fees for identification cards and passes. “But no one does anything for us,” he stated.
Jagdeo pledged to personally intervene in the matter and confront the airport authorities on the issue.
He also told the taxi drivers and dispatchers that another meeting should be held to discuss matters which affect them along the way.