Sinanan: PH taxi policy still before AG

While he could not give a definite timeframe as to when a policy regulating the activities of regular and private hire (PH) taxis would be brought to Parliament, Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan is hoping it will be soon.

A policy framework to address issues in the national transport network was taken to Cabinet last March.

Last year Sinanan said the policy would not recommend the legalisation of PH taxis
but ways to move forward to solve the issues facing taxi drivers and commuters.

Last Wednesday president of the Route Three Green Band Maxi Taxi association Vikash Kissoondath called for more measures to reduce competition between PH taxis and legitimate maxi-taxi associations.

Contacted for comment on Monday, Sinanan said after a series of stakeholder discussions last year, the policy was being reviewed by the Attorney General and would be sent back to Cabinet.

After that it would be scrutinised further for a last round of consultation and then taken to Parliament.

"It takes some time, but we have done some work over the last year, where we met and spoke with the different stakeholders, including all of the different taxi associations.

"We don't have a timeline as yet, because its now at the Attorney General's level.

"We had a lot of consultation and we have everybody's view, so at this point in time I would simply say we are hoping it goes back to Cabinet in the next six weeks, and then we can take it forward to put the policy into action."

After the kidnapping and murder of 22-year-old Arima court clerk Andrea Bharatt last February, licensed taxi drivers called on the government to completely phase out PH taxis.

In an interview with Newsday last year, the drivers said since the murder of 18-year-old Ashanti Riley at the end of 2020 female passengers had become particularly wary of travelling at night.