Taxis A Target

If the effort expended to rid our roads of Taxis and the services they offer were put into fighting crime and growing our economy Jamaica, would be crime-free and of First World status by now.

Daily, the police and the Transport Authority engage in all and sundry efforts to rid our streets of Taxis that ironically are an essential service except in name and official recognition. They set up road blocks, swat teams and engage in terrorizing these transporters whom if they disappeared, the country would be thrown into chaos. This is done mostly under the guise of law and order, but falls short in thought, practice and effort.

Taxis take children to school, parents to work, people to hospitals, clinics, and to various outings for business or for pleasure, yet at the same time, they are subjected to unfair, excessive and often
abusive attention. They are asked to not park on the streets to pick up passengers; they are asked to not run obvious routes that make sense; and they are asked to comply with rules and regulations
that often appear onerous and excessively limiting.

When they are commanded to leave the streets, they are not told of any sensible alternative. However, it would seem as if they are to park in the air and the passengers must meet them there.
Often, they are pointed to the Bus Park, but that is a poor excuse for not having any sensible answers to the question of where they must stop to pick up passengers? The Park cannot hold all of
the operators, and moving to and from the Park causes numerous problems for the commuters whose comfort, convenience and ease of commute are lost in the confusion.

They are asked to not let passengers off downtown, but rather to take them to the Bus Park. However, apart from the inadequacy of the Bus Park to accommodate all the vehicles, it is often a
problem for commuters, who need to go downtown. In the evenings when the Park is deserted and seems quite uninviting and dangerous, both taxis and commuters are thrown into the streets,
because the nights do not matter. Many of the commuters are burdened with goods of all and sundry kind, babies and small children in tow with no consideration as to how they should navigate the course to their destination. The problems also occur in the reverse: Commuters heading home with goods purchased and children in tow are hampered in their efforts and severely
inconvenienced. This cannot be, because any government worthy of its tenure, must have in high regard, the comfort and convenience of commuters, the voters and constituents.

Additionally, Taxi drivers are required to wear uniforms, to obtain Road Licenses, and to obtain Badges. This is in addition to having Fitness done, Licensing the vehicle and to pay insurance.

The strangeness of it all is that there are easy solutions to these apparent problems that go abegging, because the governments are not very mindful of their reasons for existing: The Welfare
of its citizens and residents. Find places for Taxis to ply their trade as is reasonable. Where three or five cars can be parked without blocking the road, let them park and the rest circle until a space is available. This can be extended, because there are limited spaces in the town to accommodate more than this. Those who do not comply must face the full force of the law, from suspension ranging from 3-6 months to outright banning. On the surface, this may seem harsh, but law and order cannot be maintained in our milieu playing soft; and the police cannot be taken up with the futile efforts of chasing Taxis every day when there is the more pressing problems of crime and violence to attend to.

Instead of making it difficult to attain the requirements to operate a Taxi, make it easier to obtain these things. Find ways for the limited parking available on the streets to be used sensibly. The Bus Park is to be used and maintained for those who can be accommodated there; and importantly, the police and Transport Authority must cease and desist in their overkill against Taxi Operators. They must be given clear guidelines in which to operate, and not be allowed engage in corruption by creating the environment for it to exist and thrive.

Daily, the police are on the streets engaged in the futile efforts of chasing taxi drivers who employ various means to elude them. At times they bother, and at other times they turn a blind eye and go about their business. This is a waste of time and resources that would be better expended taking care of the real problems: Crime and violence. The powers that be, charged with the responsibilities of solving problems, have now become problems as their efforts are not well thought out, and therefore cannot and do not have much of any impact on the problems they pursue unconscionably.

Taxis are not our main problems, and should not be a target for law enforcement. Set the rules properly and sensibly and let them work so that the police can stop ‘drying ice’; an exercise in futility. Taxi Operators provide a valuable and an essential service that cannot be filled by the competing Public Transportation System. Recognize this, and get the job done… We must not wait until when
they strike to see and know their value, worth and just how important they are in the proper functioning of the society.

By: Warren Johnson