THE Jamaica Rent-A-Car Association has written the Minister of Transport, Works and Housing, Dr Omar Davies, requesting a meeting to iron out problems with the proposed changes to the Road Traffic Act.

The new Act will require that original licence documents be kept in the motor vehicles.

The group said such a move would pose a huge problem for its members, for several reasons.

Two examples given by the association were that:

(1) when the vehicles are stolen, as is often the case, the likelihood of recovery of the vehicle goes out the window;

(2) The requirement of operation, under the Productive Input Relief (PIR) concession, states the firms must keep the original documents at their head office, at all times, for inspection, for renewal and inspection.

“The police also want to inspect the documents when cars are stolen, involved in criminal activities, involved in accidents. Keeping copies in the cars is a logistical nightmare, particularly when running a fleet of over 900 cars,” argues Michael Campbell, association president.

The group said following solution had been worked out with the police: the contract with its clients, a very comprehensive document with nearly all the relevant information the police require, should be kept in the motor vehicle at all times.

The association also requested a brief meeting with the ministry to explain all the facts and the problems, in an effort to resolve the problems arising from the provisions included in the new Bill.

Vehicles obtained by Jamaica Rent-A-Car Association companies under the incentives provided in the Omnibus Act must be registered, licensed and insured only in the name of the car rental company, and copies of the documents submitted to the Tourism Production Development Company (TPDCo) within 30 days of being licensed.

The original documents must be available for inspection upon request, and all documents related to the vehicle must be kept at the head office of the rental company.