LUCEA, Hanover — Expressing concern that felons and sexual predators may be behind the wheels of some public passenger vehicles (PPV) transporting the country’s children, Councillor Marvel Sewell (People’s National Party, Green Island Division) wants changes in the way drivers licences are issued.

“Anybody can drive a taxi. You don’t know if the person is a convict, child molester, or rapist,” he said during last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation.

For years there have been concerns that nefarious individuals sometimes pose as cabbies, giving law-abiding members of the transportation sector a bad name. There have been several high-profile cases in which women have been abducted and killed. Sewell is particularly concerned about the potential danger for students who rely on public transportation to get to and from school.

“We want to know who is taking all children from point A to point B, and that is really a problem that we have to look into,” argued Sewell.

A police record is currently mandatory for drivers, conductors, and owners of a vehicle processed by the Transport Authority (TA). However, it is not mandatory for individuals being issued with a PPV driver’s licence by Tax Administration Jamaica after passing a test administered by Island Traffic Authority. So while the TA has safeguards in place for licensed taxi and commercial operators, there are none for taxis operating outside of the formal system.

Sewell wants the way drivers’ licences are issued in Jamaica changed to the method used in the United States as a means of safeguarding the public. In the US a commercial driver’s licence (CDL) is usually required to drive a taxi, transport more than 15 passengers, or drive large vehicles such as trucks, buses, and trailers. It also covers the transportation of hazardous materials.

“If we are adopting everything from America… They have a special class CDL licence to carry passengers or to carry goods,” stated Sewell. “We [in Jamaica] now just have a PPV licence for anyone.”

The councillor also wants amber lights implemented within school zones to protect students from speeding vehicles.

“Within 45 minutes before school and 45 minutes before school is over, the amber light stays on so that every motorist passing a school gate has to comply with travelling at 20 kilometres,” he suggested.

Mayor of Lucea Sheridan Samuels supported the suggestion, adding that it was a good one.

SEWELL… we want to know who is
taking all children from point A to point
B