KINGSTON, Jamaica –Taxi operators will meet at the Half -Way-Tree Primary School today to decide whether to go ahead with an islandwide withdrawal of service by the island’s public transport operators, if a traffic ticket amnesty is not given by Sunday afternoon.

“We have done all that is necessary and within our scope to do, our main concern is to get an amnesty and if we don’t get one, we are urging all public transport operators to stay home on Monday and remain at home until an amnesty is granted. Taxi operators will be doing the wrong thing if they drive out on Monday because they can be arrested for having outstanding tickets, remember now that summons are being prepared as we speak,” Egerton Newman, president of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services, said.

“If we don’t hear that announcement then it’s all systems go on Monday from the east to the eest and north to south. I urge all commuters to secure alternative modes of transportation for Monday morning. We need an amnesty and get it now,” he added.

The cabbies in the Corporate Area withdrew their services in September to protest against the threat of being carted off to jail by cops because of unpaid tickets, many of which, the cabbies believe, were issued unfairly.

The Government has declared two traffic ticket amnesties in the past 10 years. In 2012, the government declared an amnesty that ran from July 1 to December 31. Some $340 million was collected by the government.

The second amnesty, which was declared in 2017, yielded some $846 million. At the time, the government said more than $2 billion in unpaid tickets were uncollected.

Under traffic amnesties, delinquent traffic-ticket holders are allowed to pay outstanding sums without the threat of prosecution, while accumulation of demerit points and warrants will be rendered null and void.