Ministry of Transport & Works

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Minister of Transport and Works, Hon. Mike Henry

Minister of Transport and Works, Mike Henry, has granted a 25 per cent increase in route taxi fares, which takes effect on May 10.

With the increase, the base rate for route taxis will move from $44 to $55, with $3 added for each additional kilometre. Children under the age of 12, students, disabled persons and pensioners, will pay half of the approved fare.

The Transport Minister, who made the announcement at a press conference held yesterday (May 2) at his Kingston office, said that the increase was granted after considering the submissions made by the various taxi associations and the recommendations of the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) and the Transport Authority.

He noted that the various taxi associations had submitted proposals for increases ranging from 37 per cent to 100 per cent. The OUR recommended a 36.4 per cent rate hike, while the Transport Authority proposed an increase of between 25 to 30 per cent. "Being the Minister I am, I took the lesser one in the interest of the taxpayers," Mr. Henry stated.

He said he also took into consideration, the various increases in food and petrol prices. "I've looked at all the various costs and I hope that the route taxi operators will understand the background on which I've taken this decision," he said, while stating that he would be available to meet with members next week "to refine the issues."

The Minister made it clear that the increase only applied to the estimated 13,000 licensed route taxi operators across the island and not hackney carriage operators, whose requests will be addressed at a later date. Route taxis transport no more than 10 passengers, whereas a hackney carriage carries only three passengers along with the driver.

He indicated that the Ministry will be commissioning an all island survey to get the correct statistics for licensed route taxis, noting that there are an estimated 18,000 unregistered operators.

In the meantime, Ramon Gabbidon, General Secretary for the National Association of Transport Operators, expressed disappointment with the level of increase granted, even as he acknowledged the financial crunch being faced by commuters.

"We are really not happy with it. We understand the situation and we understand that the country is in an economic crunch but personally, I'm somewhat disappointed with the level of increase," he said, noting that a 30 per cent increase would have been welcomed.

"At least a 30 per cent would have allowed us to keep our head a little bit above water. A 30 per cent increase would have been ideal," he said.

Mr. Gabbidon said that consultations will be held with the presidents of the different taxi associations before giving a comprehensive response.

Route taxi operators were last given an increase in August 2005, when a 25 per cent hike was granted, moving the base fare from $35 to $44.

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