OCHO RIOS, St Ann — Taxi operators who withdrew their services from St Ann’s Bay to Ocho Rios Monday morning complained that they were forced to take action because issues beyond their control, such as an unwelcoming transportation centre, leave them vulnerable to demerits that put their ability to earn a living at risk.

“The park is not conducive for passengers so they are not going there. The restrooms are not working; no shelter, so if it rains, a lady with a child has to head to the gas station or somewhere to get shelter. The passengers don’t want to go to the bus park and we have to make a living, so all we do is pick up the passengers wherever they go,” said Clyde Johnson.

He was among the placard-bearing cabbies whose cars lined both sides of the main road in the vicinity of the Ocho Rios Pier. They had decided to participate in what was billed by organisers as an all-island withdrawal of service aimed at getting the authorities to rethink aspects of the demerit system in place.

“We don’t want to be out here now; we want to work because we are everything to the people. We are their ambulance, delivery workers and the list goes on. But we have to make a statement and take to the streets,” Johnson said.

“The authorities need to look deep into this thing and realise that this 10 points thing cannot work. It is so easy to lose 10 points from your licence because some of the police officers are unfair. We just need some consideration and I hope somebody will hear us because our taxis are all we have,” he added.

Another taxi operator, Christopher Minott, spoke passionately about the impact losing his licence would have on his family.

“I have three children going to school, and I have to take care of myself and my wife out of running taxi. I’m also working for somebody so I still have to make the boss money and buy gas; and the price is so high. If we even pay one or two tickets, it shorten a lot of things because we a cut back on things at home,” he explained.

“We already can’t survive so if they take our licence, what are we going to do?” Minott continued.

The current law states that once a certain number of points have been deducted from a driver’s licence due to traffic tickets then the individual will be stripped of his/her right to drive.

“They are planning to take our livelihoods from us and it can’t work, so we just need the Government to put some more thought into this. The country cannot operate without us taxi men,” argued Minott.

Errol James, who was also among those protesting on Monday, concurred.

“We nah go work with the points thing because we have family to feed and bills to take care of. We have children going to school and they have to be taken care of as well,” he told the Observer.

“Sometimes the police them give out some tickets that are not fair and simply don’t make sense. The points will be taken off so we have to talk up for ourselves from now,” he added.