Dear Editor,
The tragic murder of a Venezuelan national, allegedly by a taxi driver of a “popular hotel”, has raised chills on so many fronts. Firstly, taxis are a public service where citizens put their trust in the hands of virtual strangers to get them to or from their destination. Oftentimes, taxi customers move alone and many are females. It therefore leaves customers very vulnerable if a taxi driver has criminal intent. This particular incident is even more chilling because the alleged killer had a hideous criminal past, who was allowed to work his taxi from a “popular hotel”. Unsuspecting, or even the wary, customers would not think twice about using a taxi attached to popular locations, especially hotels, because they automatically assume a certain level of confidence in the service because of its attachment.
This is not the first time a taxi driver has been attached to a high profile crime. In this instance, the big question is how did an individual with such a hideous criminal past be allowed to operate a taxi from a well-known city hotel? It can only be assumed that there is no proper screening system in place before individuals are allowed to operate a taxi. This then raises the question – is there any law in place to screen individuals before they are permitted to operate a taxi? If there isn’t, then this has to be done as a matter of utmost urgency. And it must have stringent requirements. We cannot continue to have the innocent, unsuspecting public exposed to such danger. And what about business entities? Do they screen taxi operators before attaching them to their place of business? If not, then they are equally culpable of placing the lives of their customers in grave danger.
Our government repeatedly boasts about the numbers of hotels that are being constructed in the country. Almost all of these hotels will have taxis operating through them. Will these hotels, some of high international repute, be okay with an unregulated taxi industry? It is high time that our government intervenes and creates the regulatory framework that produces a taxi business, rigorously vetted and monitored, so that it becomes very trustworthy and removes criminal operatives from within it. It is too late to save the life of the woman, but hopefully this tragic incident raises awareness of the dangers that an unregulated taxi industry brings to the innocent, unsuspecting public and that it galvanizes those in authority to act decisively to bring about change and improve safety for all.
Sincerely,
M. Abraham
