Leon Daniels, private sector employee: ‘I really don’t think it’s a wise idea, because the task of finding a particular car that is involved in some problem or criminal activity would be an almost impossible and simply painstaking task. For instance, most persons are not in the habit of memorizing number plates when they hop into vehicles, but in the event of something going wrong, they would more likely be able to describe the other physical features of the vehicle, but to say that it’s yellow would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack because of all the yellow vehicles that would be around. I think they should remain as they are. There are more pressing issues that we should be addressing as a nation such as the way motorists use the roads and the wanton loss of lives by accidents and not colour of taxis; this can be classed a non-issue.’
Lianne Williams, private sector employee: ‘I am of the opinion that this move by the government has both positives and negatives. First of all, all the taxis bearing one colour will make it much easier for commuters to identify, considering especially those private taxi drivers who are not attached to a service. On the other hand, however, it can prove very costly on the pockets of drivers who purchase their vehicles in one colour and then have to take them to be sprayed over in yellow. Additionally, any mischievous person can spray their car yellow and be involved in criminal activities; it would prove very difficult for the police to catch criminals since there will simply be just too many yellow cars on the road. I think the idea needs to be given greater thought before a conclusive decision is made.’
Elroy Stephney, public sector employee: ‘I think it is a good idea and I support it considering the ongoing criminal activities of the day. The vehicles being in one colour would not only allow for easy identification on the part of the police who are trying to fight crime, but will also benefit the community at large and even tourists trying to find taxis. I think this is a move by the President in trying to move the nation in the direction of being a modernized state.’
Keisha Stephney, UG student: ‘I don’t think that this latest move by the President is a wise one. As a matter of fact I am of the opinion that the government should be looking at more important issues since we have more burning issues to be examined in our nation. We should be looking at the decline of our education system and the fact that the VAT needs to be adjusted to make goods and services more affordable. We need more jobs in Guyana for young school leavers. All cars being in one colour is a waste of people’s precious time and a stupid topic to look at. What is the President trying to do? Make this country Americanized? It can’t happen, he is no Obama. We just simply don’t have the capacity and the systems to make this happen. Let’s not look at the colour of the vehicles but rather at what the vehicle and those driving them are doing. Too many people are losing their lives because of reckless driving; there are a number of other burning issues to look at instead of this foolishness about colour of cars.’
Marvin Wray, private sector employee: ‘I think it’s a good idea since it contributes to a greater sense of uniformity. It will be much easier for tourists to identify and the police force at large. I am of the opinion that this move stands to benefit us more than it can harm us. Private taxi operators would just have to keep up with the standards or be prepared to change jobs. It’s a very smart initiative and I think that if they are all going to be in one colour, then they should carry one fare as well. They should operate as a group and from there can form their own union as a means to achieving greater stability. It would be more difficult for criminals to hijack taxis now since the cars will be easily identifiable.’
Ebun Hazlewood, private sector employee: ‘I am of the opinion that the move by the government to have all the taxis in one colour has both advantages and disadvantages. The positive revolves around the fact that they’ll be easily identifiable meeting all necessary requirements of a taxi service or association. On the other hand, however, it is likely that we will see an upsurge in criminal activities since there is the likelihood of bandits capitalizing on the fact that the taxis will all be yellow, hence it will be much easier for perpetrators committing crimes to evade the relevant law enforcement authorities who would have to endure the painstaking task of sifting through thousands of yellow taxis, thus making their work more tedious.’
Stefi Schepmyer, private sector employee: ‘I really don’t think that it is necessary for Guyana to just switch to one-colour taxis. For years we’ve been travelling as is. There are more important issues for us to address as a nation than taxis and their colours. We should be focusing on building our nation’s economy, our education system and the society as a whole. Joblessness is yet another issue that warrants immediate attention by the government. Besides, it will be very difficult for the police to find one yellow taxi considering that they’ll have to investigate thousands of others.’
Tonya Lee: ‘I agree with this move to have all the taxis in one colour since in my opinion it leads to some sense of uniformity. What I am hoping, however, is that with this newest development comes a system of fixed rates also. Persons should not be charged because of how they look or where they are going. I wonder also what other rule would go hand in hand with this move. In addition, I’m concerned as to what may happen to private taxi owners who for the most part may not be in a position to afford spraying over their cars in yellow. We should, however, not be totally opposed to the system since we sometimes talk about development and when there is a move in that direction we find other complaints.’
Orin Nurse, private sector employee: ‘I think that having all the taxis in one colour is a very positive move for our country. For one, it will arrest the issue of carjacking since the taxis will be easier to identify to both passengers and police, and though it may be costly on drivers to spray over their cars in yellow, it should be mostly viewed as a non-issue since they’ll just have to stand that expense once. By that I mean that it’s not every day that they’ll have to spray over the cars.’
