Police powerless against PH drivers

POLICE officers are seemingly powerless to deal with PH taxi drivers. This was implied by Chaguanas Borough Police inspector Ballyram Lalla when he spoke to members of the Land and Physical Infrastructure Joint Select Committee during a public hearing at Tower D of the Port of Spain yesterday. Responding to questions from Senate Vice-President Nigel De Freitas, Lalla said anyone using a private vehicle to transport people on the roads commits an offence punishable by law.

De Freitas asked how police officers ensured that PH taxi drivers operated within the confines of the law, saying it was a kind of “boldfacedness” for them to be operating their own stands.

Lalla said if police move against these drivers, “The whole nation will come down on us.”

He explained that was because “there is definitely the need for a certain amount of transportation which is not available,” and when police officers take action against PH drivers, some people criticise them. From time to time, Lalla said. police officers do charge PH drivers, but, he added, “Sometimes the matter goes before the court and the matter is dismissed.”

UWI senior transport engineering lecturer Trevor Townsend said PH drivers are “taking food from the mouths of bonafide taxi drivers,” and the number of these drivers has declined over the last 25 years from 25,000 to 13,000.

He said PH drivers were now operating in Diego Martin and white taxi vans were operating in Maraval. Townsend said because maxi taxis and buses only drop their passengers at certain places, they are “at the mercy of PH drivers” if they need to reach their final destination. Because PH drivers do not follow the regulations which normal maxi taxi and taxi drivers adhere to, Townsend said, they boldly ply their trade in front of these legitimate drivers.

Works and Transport Ministry traffic engineer Adande Piggott said it is difficult for the ministry to determine exactly how many PH drivers are operating.

Permanent Secretary Sonia Francis-Yearwood said efforts have been made to encourage PH drivers to regularise their status as taxi drivers, but many of those efforts have not been successful. Francis-Yearwood said PH drivers are not comparable to services such as Uber, and ride-sharing is not applicable for PH drivers.