‘No hanky-panky’ in 2008
For years, Jamaican route taxi drivers, especially those within the Corporate Area, have had to work to earn a living amidst a myriad of problems – chief among them, inadequate designated parking areas for their vehicles and very long delays with the processing of licenses at the Transport Authority.
Devon Hunter, president of the National Council of Taxi Associations (NCOTA) – the umbrella body for licensed route taxis in Jamaica – believes not enough is being done to address problems facing the local taxi industry.
According to Hunter, there are too many long-standing issues affecting Jamaican taxi drivers, which are not being addressed. Approximately 14, 435 Jamaican taxi operators are members of NCOTA. Of the 53 taxi associations in four regions islandwide, NCOTA represents 33.
“We have a number of challenges affecting us and it is really becoming frustrating because we feel that we are not being paid any attention,” he said.
Hunter made it clear that apart from the grave problem of inadequate parking space, high on the agenda for discussion are: overdue fare increases, harassment from the police and the tardy processing of license applications by the Transport Authority.
“A lot of our members have submitted licensing applications to the Transport Authority from September and many are having problems getting them. As a result, many of them are being forced to operate illegally to help feed their families,” Hunter said.
“The bottom line is that the licensing process at the Transport Authority is very frustrating. The applications sent in months ago are now stagnant and it is clear that they need a faster process. The association has made several proposals to them because it is very frustrating.”
On the matter of designated parking areas for route taxi operators, Hunter said the problem was not unique to Half-Way-Tree and other areas in Kingston and St Andrew.
“Half-Way-Tree is just one problem. In most towns across Jamaica, there is difficulty with parking. For example in Port Antonio where I work, there are no proper parking facilities and we are currently grappling with that problem,” Hunter explained.
“Across Jamaica, our drivers complain that there are inadequate areas for them to drop off and pick up passengers without police officers harassing them and we also have to be competing with illegal taxi operators.”
According to Keith Goodison, managing director of the Transport Authority, there are ongoing discussions with the Transport and Works Ministry to have the problems addressed, and bring greater “orderliness” to the transport sector. With regards to parking, he said one of the solutions for taxi operators in the Corporate Area would come through the opening of the new multi-million dollar transport terminus in Half-Way-Tree within a few months.
“It is a fact that there are not enough designated areas for taxi operators in Kingston and St Andrew with the problem being greatly concentrated in the Half-Way-Tree area due to the density of both pedestrians and motor vehicles,” Goodison told the Sunday Observer in an interview last week.
“With the new centre opening soon, we are hoping to formalise the allocation of parking areas for taxi operators as the availability of space should open up.”
Goodison underscored the need for improvement to be made to Jamaica’s transport sector, with focus on providing an improved service , but said everything takes time.
President of the Hackney Carriages Association, Willard Cosley agreed.
“There is a lot that needs to be done to uplift the taxi industry in Jamaica. We have many different issues for the New Year because there is a lot of hanky-panky going on and it needs to stop. It’s a lot to deal with,” Cosley told the Sunday Observer.
In the meantime, both Hunter and Goodison say they are looking forward to having discussions in support of improving the taxi industry.
“Despite the problems, we look forward to 2008 and meeting with the different authorities, including the police, the Transport Authority and government officials to address these long-standing matters that are affecting Jamaican taxi operators,” Hunter said.