Warning of protests if taxi operators concerns not resolved

Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael is serving notice of protest action by his association if concerns about the lack of provisions for taxi operators in Heroes Square and other parts of The City are not addressed soon.

In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Raphael said drivers were angry about repeatedly being moved when events were held in Bridgetown, without either sufficient notice or compensation.

“It appears to us that we are being taken for a ride and I am warning that if this matter does not resolve itself, the first event that is held in Heroes Square we are going to protest [and] take our action to the court,” he declared.

Raphael said that in addition to taxis being relocated during events in The City, recent upgrades to the Fairchild Street Market had displaced even more of the operators.

“When the Government decided that they are going to upgrade the market, we were just thrown to the wind, and often our operators find themselves before the court because [of] where they ply their trade. We were supposed to meet with [the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. (BTI)] to discuss the Fairchild Street [market] and also the Heroes Square taxis…. That meeting has not materialised,” Raphael lamented.

“Independence is coming up and I know that Heroes Square is going to be a hive of activity, and I know that the Government might be preparing shortly to have a statue or monument placed there, and that too may be a height of activity. We need to meet with the relevant authority so that we can discuss parking spaces for those persons who ply their trade in Heroes Square.”

Raphael stressed that the situation was unacceptable, with many of the operators expressing anger that on several occasions, they were moved from their usual locations to make way for national events, without any fair warning or compensation.

“Two weeks ago, we would have written to them [BTI], they would have responded, but it is not good enough,” the AOPT chairman contended.

“You cannot have our operators operating in Bridgetown all during the day and then suddenly something comes up and the fellas can’t find no place to park.”

In response, Joy-Ann Haigh, executive chairman of Haigh Communications Inc. which is the public relations company for the BTI, confirmed to Barbados TODAY that there had been previous discussions with the AOPT. However, she stressed that multiple agencies were often involved in staging of events within The City and, as such, other entities needed to be involved before final decisions are made.

“Roy Raphael would have spoken with us as the representative of BTI and we are aware of their concerns. We will continue to have meetings with him and other agencies if and when required,” she said.

“Going forward, I believe that there needs to be a plan if they are to be moved temporarily to facilitate events.” (SB)