THE Supreme Court on Monday refused an application by the National Association of Taxi Operators (NATO) for permission to apply for judicial review of a purported decision of the Transport Authority regarding the introduction of new operating rules.

The Transport Authority, effective February, introduced revised standards and criteria for the approval of Route Taxi Associations. Majority of Route Taxi Associations islandwide submitted applications for consideration, with some getting provisional approval.

According to the Transport Authority, the NATO-affiliated associations did not submit any application to the authority, but instead took the authority to court in an attempt to challenge the revised standards and criteria.

In refusing NATO’s application, the Supreme Court upheld the submissions made by Symone Mayhew, attorney for the authority, that there was no decision to be reviewed as the NATO-affiliated associations did not submit any application to be considered for approval.

The court also ruled that NATO, which was represented by attorney A Earl Melhado, did not satisfy the criteria for an application for judicial review.

Meanwhile, the authority said road licences for route taxi, which expired on April 1, would not be renewed until licencees are members of an approved route taxi association.

“It should be noted that operating on the Transport Authority’s behalf without approval constitutes a legal breach and could have serious legal implications,” the authority said in a release.