Plans to launch local ride-hailing app

Plans are in the works to unite the island’s transport co-operatives under a single, locally-owned ride-hailing app.

 

Speaking to Barbados TODAY recently, businessman and President of the Bridgetown Port Taxi Co-Op Society Ltd, Adrian Bayley announced the plans for a unified, tech-driven system that he says is both urgent and overdue.
“We’re bringing all co-ops together to form our own taxicab app in Barbados,” he said.

 

Now back at the helm of the Bridgetown Port Taxi Co-Op after a 17-month absence, Bayley said he intends to use his presidency to push forward a national app initiative that gives control back to local drivers and co-operative members.

 

“With the Bridgetown Port Co-Op boasting 170 members and the airport co-op having 120, I believe they have the numbers to dominate the market. In the past, efforts were hindered by resistance from older members, but with younger, tech-savvy individuals on board, we’re poised for success,” he said.

 

“Now that we’re bringing younger people into these organisations…we’re looking to hold and control the market space out there.Gone are the days when people come to Barbados and call a taxi. The technology is here, and we have to move with it.”

 

The goal is to create an app controlled by Barbadians. Welcoming other associations to join once launched, Bayley said, “We have the numbers, experience, and now need the technology—and to control it ourselves.”

 

Bayley also reported that this year’s Crop Over season has so far been “quite good” for taxi operators, noting that the festival continues to play a critical role in supporting the sector during the summer tourism lull.

 

“For the last six years—excluding two years of COVID—Crop Over has been a major support for taxi operators in Barbados,” he said. “At least 70 per cent of visitors coming in for Crop Over stay on the south side of the island.”
He expects CARIFESTA to extend the peak season, with the National Cultural Foundation reaching out to local transport providers.

 

“Carol Roberts, CEO of the NCF and director of CARIFESTA, has reached out to all transportation providers. She understands how important it is to keep this transportation centred around Barbadian operators. Coaches, ZMs—they’re all going to be involved,” Bayley said.

 

He also used the opportunity to call on the Ministry of Commerce to investigate a dramatic rise in the cost of Toyota Hiace vans, the vehicle of choice for many taxi operators. He said prices have jumped by as much as 50 per cent over five years.

 

“If the Ministry of Commerce tells me it’s supply and demand, fine, but they need to step in. You can’t be paying a 20-year mortgage for a house and a seven-year mortgage for a vehicle. It’s unconscionable.”
He warned that many small operators were being pushed to the brink and called for oversight to prevent market exploitation.

 

“You’re putting people in this industry under immense pressure. The ministry needs to look into this before it gets out of hand. Everybody can’t just use ‘supply and demand’ as an excuse.”