Taxi industry wants to be included in recovery plan
Dameon Percival
Director of the Taxi and Livery Commission, Dameon Percival wants the local transportation-for-hire sector to be given a share of the recovery funds being set aside for the British Virgin Islands.
While speaking during a public consultation on government’s proposed recovery and development plan, Percival said: “It seems like the taxi industry is completely forgotten in this whole recovery.”
He said the taxi industry was among the sectors severely impacted by the hurricanes last September.
Percival further lamented that the industry is not operating at full function.
“When we came out after the hurricanes, we analyzed that we were up to 30 percent carrying capacity. Right now, the taxi is closer to 50 percent,” said Percival, who added that taxi operators boosted their performance ‘all on their own with no assistance’.
“We didn’t know of these [government grant] programmes… But in your whole recovery plan, there is no discussion — nothing to mention the transportation-for-hire, which is an extremely important sector.”
Under the grant programme, business owners are able to receive financial support of up to $10,000 from government to get back on their feet.
Discussions to be had
While responding to Percival’s concern, Chairman of the Disaster Recovery Coordination Committee, Brodrick Penn said government was more focused was on creating and enabling a conducive environment for the taxi operators to thrive.
Penn, however, said meetings will be had to discuss whether the transportation-for-hire sector can get a bite of recovery funds.
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Switch to Uber and forget these crooks
i wish i could like this comment 100 times. Taxi industry is a prime example of the entitlement problem the BVI suffers from. This monopoly (AKA racket) should come to an end so that tourists and residents stopped getting ripped off
If that’s the case, every business that deals with tourism should be included!
It’s only fair to compensate business that were impacted by the disasters. Yes, that should include the taxi drivers.If local businesses were assisted, a list should be publicized and remarks as to why they were eligible for assistance.
But taxis are different. They have no premises – they have no employees. It is just them and their vehicle. And, by law, their vehicle must be insured.
Taximen who call out for Government aid just basically want some free money. There is nothing that they need to rebuild, or employees that they need to take care of. Sure, their business is suffering just like everybody else – but they have no reconstruction costs and they should have no uninsured losses if they are operating legally.
uber yes uber yes uber! by far the best solution for residents and tourists.
Seriously Uber is not the way ahead, the taxis and the rest of us need good roads, which has been a problem since before the hurricanes and the flooding…
Bring UBER or LIFT to the BVI. That IS the best way to go. My son drive for UBER in the States part time and he makes around $500.00 a week plus tips.Only thing with UBER,You hâve to hâve a clean driving record.
And the passengers dont hâve to worry about getting ripped off.
Lets have some meters, fixed fares, proper vehicles, no overcrowding , no multiple stops then. BVI doesnt have a taxi industry, it has a junk bus service with limo prices rip off industry.
Are taxis not required to have insurance? Why would the taxpayers have to pay for this?
Sadly, you guys are dreaming. Government would never dare tell the taxi industry that they have to behave like taxi industry in a normal country. Much less bring in Uber or Lyft. Government is so afraid of the taximen, that is why they get away with such bad service and such high prices, and everyone else in BVI (including all the tourists) just have to suffer.
I paid $7 to go from the airport terminal to the dock at Trellis Bay…OUTRAGEOUS! Three large suitcases and in the dark, I was not about to walk it!
What 7.00 not even 5.00 but thats only a 50 second drive.
What assistance are taxi drivers advocating for? Are taxi drivers required to carry minimum insurance: bodily injury liabilities, property damage liability, personal injury protection, uninsured/under insured protection? Are they required to carry full insurance? And if so, should not Insurance companies compensate them for losses? Are taxi drivers asking for assistance for damage garages? Are they asking for economic losses as a result of the hurricanes? Are they not eligible for available benefits/assistance as other residents?
Would not districts town halls meeting be a better medium to meet more residents? Is meeting with every individual group as effective as town hall meetings? Is meeting with every individual interest group slowing the process? Should not meetings be for the general public, not public sector employees? Should not public sector eomployee meetings be held separately?
Some of you talking about taxi price. Do you know that the government is the one that sets and regulates the prices that taxi chages. A lot of you want to have plenty bags and don’t want to pay for them and still expect the dtaxi man to lift them also some places taxi have to go for or to take you all are out ragout and you all still complain .
Tortola Will always be 100 steps behind modernisation. Tortola Will never progres.Only things in Tortola IS ignorant evil people. Seems like the hurricane made most of them More evil and ignorant.
with uber taxi fares will fall. that means more people will use taxis. taxi drivers will end up making more – probably a lot more.
Included for what? So they can get $$ to buy new taxi? Did they not have insurance? I want to be included TOO. My car mash up and no insurance! Really, why in the world would they be included?
Hand in cookie jar mentality