MONTEGO BAY, St James — Montego Bay-based Maxi Taxi has sought to clear the air about its collaboration with Uber, after the Transport Authority (TA) threw cold water on the ride share provider’s recent announcement that it has expanded to Montego Bay.

“Within a few weeks we will hopefully satisfy ourselves to see if it is worth entering into a concrete partnership [with Uber], but it looks good. I think it’s going to happen because we don’t see anything wrong with it,” Maxi Taxi President Gregg Connell told the Jamaica Observer last Wednesday.

He said a pilot is now underway to determine the feasibility of having Maxi drivers, who predominantly target the tourism sector, offer their services via the Uber app.

On January 30 Uber issued a press release announcing that “users will now be able to request taxi services from contract carriage drivers affiliated with Maxi Taxi easily, via the Uber app”.

Connell was quoted in the release as saying the “partnership marks a significant step in elevating how tourists move in Montego Bay”.

The impression was that the service was immediately available in the resort city, with plans to roll it out later in other sections of St James as well as the parishes of Hanover, Westmoreland, Trelawny, and St Ann.

However on February 6 the TA advised that it had “met with its stakeholders, contract carriage groups from across the country, and they have indicated that there is no agreement in place with Uber, but rather, an offer is on the table which is being reviewed”. The TA also expressed concern that Uber is unable to properly screen drivers and passengers, and reminded that public passenger vehicles must have the required licence.

On Wednesday, when asked to clarify, Connell chose his words carefully in order not to jeopardise a potentially lucrative deal, while staying within the TA’s guidelines.

“The release Uber sent is correct, we are entering into a partnership with them, and what Transport Authority put out is correct, we are not disputing that,” he said. “We are exploring to see if this is a good fit.”

He explained that under the ongoing pilot project a few Maxi Taxi operators are getting information via the popular ride share app to see what the reaction would be from visitors to the island. Connell stressed that only certified drivers would be allowed to participate if the Uber deal goes ahead. His comments were endorsed by Maxi Montego Bay Vice-President Huntley Smart.

“If this thing works out it is the same operators who would benefit because it is their vehicle that would be used to transport the guests or the tourists that would be sent here by
Uber,” Smart explained.

Connell also stressed that checks would be made to ensure that drivers are not circumventing the system.

“You can’t get on that app if you drive a white plate, and when you upload the information there is going to be a background check,” he explained.

He is looking forward to the Uber deal going ahead as he anticipates that it will provide a major boost for his segment of the tourism-reliant transport sector.

“In tourism our market is not in Jamaica, our market is overseas so if we can get exposure overseas [that is good]. They are doing the heavy lifting for us in a marketplace of 400 million [potential passengers in the US],” Connell argued.

He also maintained that the Uber platform could help boost the perception that Jamaica is safe for visitors.

“If you call me to come pick you up, you are going to get a picture of the driver, you are going to get a picture of his vehicle, you are going to get his licence plate information, and when you go down to the hotel lobby you will know this is the person,” said Connell.

“I think this is very important, especially [as] we have just had an advisory [from the US saying] don’t coming to Jamaica [because of] crime,” he added.