Westmoreland taxi operators can now use Great George Street

Starting today, the Westmoreland police say taxi operators will be allowed to continue to operate on Great George Street on a temporary basis.

The decision was made at a meeting on Saturday with key stakeholders after taxi operators mounted several roadblocks and withdraw their service last Monday in protest of a public order clampdown implemented by the police and the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation.

The initiative is seeking to retake control of the streets of Savanna-la-Mar from unruly motorists and illegal vending.

However, the operations, which started on October 19, have been met with pushback from taxi operators.

“I do not want in any way to hinder anyone from making a livelihood. I have decided in conjunction with the Transport Authority that we will relax the prosecutions for taxi operators who do not have Great George Street on their licence, to go downtown,” Senior Superintendent Wayne Josephs, head of the Westmoreland police division, said.

The relaxation will allow taxi operators to pick up and set down passengers along the route without being prosecuted, but Josephs said the provision will be a pilot for a month.

He said over the period, the police will be monitoring to see the feasibility of the move and whether it can be facilitated on a long-term basis.

“You're getting a one-month trial run and we're going to see how the taxi operators operate, how you respond, and then we will have dialogue, discussions, recommendations as to whether or not we think it can work,” Josephs noted.

- Albert Ferguson

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