Clarendon cabbies back on job
MAY PEN, Clarendon — Taxi operators in May Pen returned to work on Tuesday, after withdrawing their service a day earlier and despite the Government’s firm decision not to grant them a traffic ticket amnesty. But like their peers in other parishes, they are asking the authorities to give them more time to clear their outstanding fines.
“We need the amnesty fi clean up wi licence, mek it more easier. The lock-up thing weh dem a say, the first a December, or dem a go start lock up every man fi outstanding ticket, it too sudden; so that totally out of proportion… If dem nah give wi no amnesty, they need to find a better solution fi wi clean up wi licence, and it more easier and cost wi less run up and down,” said Robert Henry, who operates on the May Pen/Old Harbour route.
Damian “Striker” Harris, who traverses the Vere/Lionel Town route, expressed similar sentiments.
“The fast coming up of the outstanding ticket [sudden]. You get 21 days fi can pay off that. Mi nuh see where dat possible right now. You have a lot of taxi drivers who have outstanding tickets and it’s not like we don’t want to pay it. Right now, we willingly woulda want to pay it, but sometimes I would want you to deal with me in a better way,” he said.
“Seh we get a print out with how much we owe the Government… We get all one three months fi pay dat off, we can pay and pay ’til wi done. So, we know seh we clean by dat [time]. But to get 21 days, that’s not possible at all,” he argued.
“Christmas a come now… remember the service weh we offer very important, so dem nuh fi look at it as if it’s nothing. Majority a wi a pay tax, and most of the tax that we pay a day time inna gas. Dem no need fi look pon wi like wi a no nobody,” he said
Another taxi driver, Damian, called for better management of the government’s payment and tracking system.
“The court system need fi upgrade and sort out better ’cause sometime we pay fi di ticket and haffi re-pay fi di ticket again; ’cause me get lock up fi ticket weh pay already, and if mi never find the receipt, mi woulda go back a jail again,” he lamented.