Call to amend Transport Authority Act

Parliament is being asked to remove the power of the police to seize the vehicles belonging to route taxi operators who do not have the required road licence.



Government Senator, Dennis Meadows started the debate on the issue based on a motion he had previously tabled.



Senator Meadows is asking that the Transport Authority Act be amended to remove a 2005 provision, which empowers the police to seize vehicles on the suspicion that they do not have the requisite permit.



According to Meadows, the seizure in such circumstances is an imposition of a penalty before the benefit of due process through a trial.



He is calling for an amnesty for the approximately 23,000 illegal route taxis, pending a comprehensive reform of the system.



Opposition member, Navel Clarke, while acknowledging the need for reform, cautioned against licencing more route taxi operators than the system can accommodate.



He contends that this is one of the reasons behind the poor financial performance of the state owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), which is now cutting staff.