The Ministry of Home Affairs says the agreed colour code, corporate yellow, applies only to taxi services and taxis associated with a service and services that comply will be given special privileges.

Owners of taxi services who comply are advised that a waiver of fees for revenue licences, road service licences, fitness certificates and radio spectrum will be granted for a two-year period. However, according to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release, this waiver is conditional on the fulfilment of the usual requirements by the Guyana Revenue Authority and the Guyana Police Force (GPF). Owners of taxi services are urged to cooperate with this regulation which comes into effect from August 1, by ensuring that all taxis associated with a service are of the designated colour. The ministry also noted that the re-spraying mandate does not apply to the owners of personal hire cars, mini-buses and tapirs that are being used for public transportation.

Last year, President Bharrat Jagdeo met with the owners of taxi services countrywide to discuss measures to modernise the service. A number of proposals were made including installing meters to determine mileage and cost, uniform, installing flex glass, banning passengers from the front seat and installing the service’s official logo.

The meeting agreed to re-spray all taxis in one colour while the other measures would be optional. Taxis that are sprayed in the official colour will be given special privileges. Government also plans to fund training sessions on first aid and customer service for taxi drivers.