ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica — President of the Southern Taxi Association, Charles Powell, says he and his members are frustrated even as they await the outcome of Monday’s meeting with Transport Minister Daryl Vaz before any strike action is considered.

“I told them that the minister called us to a meeting. All the presidents across the island, so we can’t go on a strike. We have to wait until after the meeting,” he said on Monday amid a strike threat.

“If he did not call us to a meeting, then the members would strike across the length and breadth of Jamaica. [We] are waiting to see what comes out of the meeting,” added Powell.

The meeting is to take place at 10:00 am at the transport centre in Half-Way-Tree, St Andrew, on Monday, May 18, 2026.

He said the Southern Taxi Association has about 300 members who are disgruntled over the rising fuel prices, deplorable road conditions and their longstanding demand for a fare increase.

“We have several issues. The outstanding 16 per cent over the past two and a half years is one of the main issues; it is number one. The second is the road condition with the examiner from Manchester, Clarendon and St Elizabeth, every day of the week [and] the road condition is so terrible,” he said while calling for leniency during roadside inspection of vehicles.

“We should never have in this time examiners…on the road inspecting the vehicle, because from Mandeville to Alligator Pond, coming down Spur Tree Hill, when you reach Gutters to Alligator Pond, there is road, but there are some manholes in the road,” he added while pointing to the neglect of political representatives in repairing the road.

“The road from Santa Cruz to Black River through Holland Bamboo is in a deplorable condition. We cannot have an examiner when we don’t have a good road. The front-end part is triple [the cost]. Maintenance cost is so high on the vehicle,” said Powell.

He then said the rising fuel prices are drastically reducing the earnings of taxi operators.

“Whatever you earn as a taxi operator, over 60 per cent of that which you earn goes into gas daily, so you will find a lot of taxis on the road run out of gas or they park at the garage, because the [business] isn’t financially viable anymore,” said Powell.

“All we are asking the Government to do is to give us that 16 per cent increase that they have for us over two years, and the minister is dragging his foot…Every time he says it is at the table. The table now has junjo (mildew). All the plates on the table have junjo now. We should now be going into another bargaining for another increase,” added Powell.

— Kasey Williams