Taxi & Livery Commission inspectors to get more powers, JJ Parsons appointed director

While announcing the appointment of a new Director of the Taxi & Livery Commission, the minister responsible for Transportation, Kye Rymer has said select workers in the Commission will be armed with greater powers to help police the local transportation-for-hire industry.

Speaking in the House of Assembly on Tuesday, Rymer said this will become effective in the next few weeks.

“The Taxi & Livery inspectors will be armed with the Taxi & Livery ticket book, effective April 2, 2020, which will enable them as inspectors to be more effective in inspecting and regulating the industry subject to the Taxi & Livery Commission Regulations,” Rymer said.

The new director

The minister, in the meantime, said Jevaughn Parsons was appointed as the Commission’s new director on February 17 this year.

Parson — who succeeds Dameon Percival — became director after being transferred from the Department Motor Vehicles where Rymer had served as head before resigning to enter representational politics.

As the new director, Parsons will be responsible for assisting the police in conducting background investigations on all persons applying for a taxi permit, conduct administrative hearings to decide on customer complaints, manage the Commission’s Secretariat, be the accounting officer for the Commission, and develop and implement internal policies and procedures needed for the function of the Commission.

Parsons will also be required to represent the Commission on government committees and at other meetings, and prepare annual reports on the functions of the Commission and the status of services in the industry.

Commission’s new board making ‘steady progress’

His appointment, in the meantime, comes some four months after a new Board was appointed for the Commission.

“The Taxi and Livery Commission has been making steady progress towards regulating the transportation-for-hire industry since the new Board was appointed in October 2019,” Rymer told the House of Assembly.