Transport Authority to meet with truckers

BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

THE Transport Authority is to meet with private haulage contractors tomorrow to discuss the increase in carriage licence fees against which the truckers have been protesting since last week.

"Come Thursday at 2:00 pm the Transport Authority ... its management team and members of the board, will meet with all parties concerned to see how best we can bring the matter to an amicable conclusion," Daniel Dawes, the authority's managing director told the Observer yesterday.

The decision came after dozens of placard-bearing truckers protested outside the gate of the authority's Maxfield Avenue office. This followed protests at Ferry on the Mandela Highway in St Catherine on Monday, and another in Bull Bay, St Andrew, last week.

They are angry at the decision to increase the fees by 74 per cent from $11,500 to $20,000.

But yesterday Dawes said the protest had caught the Transport Authority by surprise, hence the move to "quickly address the problem".

However, this did little to assuage the truckers who vowed to continue their protest until tomorrow.

"We have heard what the Transport Authority have to say and we look forward to the meeting on Thursday but we will still continue to protest to voice our concerns until such time," said Merrick Watson, spokesperson for the group of drivers who protested with placards.

"What they are charging us is too high. Some of us are barely making money to take home this will have to be addressed," said another driver.