Regulate
The taxi industry in St. Maarten/St. Martin has come a long way. Many may remember the days of cruise passengers coming off Captain Hodge Wharf complaining of harassment by taxi drivers and even blockades of tour buses and scuffles involving the taxi drivers in Philipsburg.
Things have improved greatly since, with the establishment of new and/or upgrading of existing taxi driver associations so that the sector could be better regulated. The new cruise facilities, the possibility to ferry passengers to Bobby’s Marina and improvements at Captain Hodge Wharf have also aided in this process.
One of the problems remains the “gypsy taxi” phenomenon, where unlicensed drivers act as taxis or buses. Today’s story about a man who wanted to charge a lady US $20 for a ride from Beacon Hill to Simpson Bay and hit her after she only paid $10 is just the latest example.
One of the issues is that the buses on the island don’t go to all areas and certainly not all the time. People living in these areas without their own transportation are thus forced either to walk out to where the buses go or to rely on gypsy taxi drivers.
But because these drivers are not licensed and not part of the official associations they are unregulated and can basically do as they please. That situation cannot be allowed to continue, because it could also have serious consequences in cases of personal injury among passengers when there is an accident.
Authorities have said more than once that they will tackle the gypsy taxis and it’s high time some more effort be put into that. At the same time, however, the bus associations need to step up to the plate and find a way to service areas where the buses currently don’t go.
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