The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

SCORES of angry taxi drivers gathered in Rawson Square yesterday to protest what they consider poor treatment and a blatant “disregard” to their concerns about their industry.

The taxi union has been calling for new taxi plates to be issued to drivers and also for the colour of their taxi plates to be changed – something the workers have been agitating for, for several years.

Speaking outside Parliament Bahamas Taxicab Union president Wesley Ferguson told reporters taxi drivers are now fed up and tired of being “disregarded” by the government, which he says have failed to live up to its promises to the workers.

He said if the problems are not addressed, the union could take similar action again today.

“We are the holders of the frontline and to be ostracised, to be minimalised and to be disregarded and just disrespected in this COVID-19 environment,” Mr Ferguson said. “…The government of The Bahamas came to us in October first of 2018 and they had a general meeting. Reward Wells at the time was the minister (of transport) and he promised us that night when we had a town hall meeting and he listened to the concerns of all taxi drivers.

“He promised us that night that he was going. . .to clear up the improprieties in the taxi driver industry. Since then, we have gotten nothing. We have negotiated, we have gotten nothing. We asked them simply to change the colour of the taxi plates so that we could stop looking like SD (rental car) drivers. The private cars have a plate. The SDs, you name it. Every vehicle has an identifiable plate except the taxi drivers.”

The group also has a strained relationship with the acting Road Traffic Controller Bradley Sands, who they claim has been using intimidating tactics against union members.

“You still have (Mr) Sands in office… He’s very disrespectful and we want him gone,” Mr Ferguson added.

The union president also expressed concerned with the fact that most taxicab drivers do not have ownership of their taxi plates.

Mr Ferguson previously said the issuance of new taxi plates was promised to them by former Transport Minister Renward Wells. However, he said the government has yet to live up to that promise.

He said: “The taxi industry is owned by 20 percent of the drivers. Eighty percent of the taxi drivers are not owners of plates—80 percent. Why is that in 2021 taxi drivers cannot own their business?

“Any Joe Blow that comes in this Bahamas (and) waves a million dollar plus and they get whatever they want. They roll out the red carpet. They have media attention, they got everyone signed in on national tv. But when taxi drivers and the locals ask the government to look after us and take care of us so we could continue to support you but, they still turn a deaf ear and a blind eye.”

On Tuesday, Labour and Transport Minister Dion Foulkes said the COVID-19 pandemic had delayed the process of having some of the union’s concerns addressed. However, he said officials are now seeking to rectify the issue.

“One of the biggest vexing issues that has existed for many years and for many many terms and for many governments has been the question of the leasing of taxi plates by taxi drivers,” Mr Foulkes said outside Cabinet.

“We have had many taxi drivers paying weekly and monthly rents to lease plates for years and, in some cases, decades and they were unable to get their own plate. We have applications and letters and petitions and the union has given a list of who those taxi cab drivers are.

“Mr Wells did a lot of work and consultation on this issue and the Cabinet gave consideration to it. Unfortunately, the pandemic interfered with that process…. So I have made an undertaking to the president of the union that we will begin the review again and that consultation again so we can finally bring an end to this unfair practice of having these taxi cab drivers lease plates for their livelihoods.”

As it relates to the issue of the taxi plates’ colour, Mr Foulkes said officials are also reviewing that matter.

“We have been reviewing it and my predecessors, Mr (Renward) Wells and (Frankie) Campbell, they have both been looking at the issue since the last election…. I think the consensus is that we take the SD plates to a white colour so that there would be a clear difference between the taxi cab plates and the self-drive plates.

“I have asked the controller to give me an estimate on the costing of how much that transfer would take in terms of the cost. So we are doing an active review on that. As soon as that comes back, I would seek Cabinet approval to change the colour.”

However, Mr Ferguson told reporters that the union is tired of hearing promises and now just wants to see action on the government’s part.

“Dion Foulkes had a lengthy conversation with me trying to persuade me not to come here this morning, but the point is we should not be having a conversation at this time. This negotiation process started in 2018,” he replied yesterday when asked about the discussions.

“This is now 2021. How much longer will we just talk? How long shall we talk and the thing of it is what I’m saying to you: the issues in the taxi industry are very, very simple issues. All we need to do is issue the taxi plates. That costs the government very little or nothing at all.”