The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas TaxiCab Union president last night said the government has only addressed “the tip of the iceberg” for his members in confirming that the colour of self-drive vehicle plates will change.

Wesley Ferguson told Tribune Business: “This is not exciting news because it was a simple situation that was festering.... for almost seven years, so that’s not a big deal. What we really want to do is get those things that they promised us on the march.”

The taxi drivers had held two protests earlier this year to urge the government to make good on their promise to grant taxi drivers new plates, as well as distinguish their plate colours from those of self-drive vehicles.

Dion Foulkes, minister for labour, local government and transport, told the Senate that the Minnis Cabinet has given a directive to the Road Traffic Department to alter the colour of self-drive vehicle plates. These will be changed to a white colour, and away from the yellow they currently use, which is presently the same colour as taxi plates.

The change in taxi plate colours was due to take place last May, but was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Ferguson, though, added: “They need to render taxi drivers some assistance right now; those who have lost plates and who lost homes, and all of that other stuff and still can’t come back to work, even if the economy starts to pick back up”.

Agreeing that the plate colour issue has now been rectified, Mr Ferguson said: “We were also wrangling with these green plates that are out here, or these private charter plates. They are supposed to be on passenger buses, but they are allowing them to operate as if they’re taxis in a colour system along with the livery cars.

“So all of that is cutting into the taxi drivers’ revenues, but I guess they have to deal with one thing at a time. So we will see what happens.” Taxi drivers were told last year that the moratorium on taxi plates was lifted, and the government would have begun to issue new taxi plates to drivers who did not have one last May.

This initiative was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Government has not indicated when it will begin the process of issuing new taxi plates.