Taxi Operators’ Strike Action Seen As “Unreasonable” During COVID-19 Pandemic

The Transport Authority is chiding Mr. Egerton Newman, President of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services (TODSS) who recently issued a 100% fare increase ultimatum and threatened strike action on the Government, indicating that this request is uncaring, unreasonable and untimely as Jamaicans grapple with coping with effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Authority, while acknowledging the need to consider the plight of the public passenger vehicle operators, given the economic challenges they have experienced since the last fare adjustment, is maintaining that Jamaicans cannot bear the cost of a fare increase at this time, especially given the effects of the COVID-19 virus on earnings and income.

Additionally, the Authority is indicating that Mr. Egerton Newman, appears to have misrepresented the sector in his recent fare increase pronouncements, since the majority of Route Taxis Associations are against this harsh approach. This, following a series of meetings recently (Thursday, June 18, 2020) with 24 of the 29 rural Route Taxi Associations which represent the over 20,000 licence route Taxi operators, islandwide. At the meeting, the Associations were adamant that their members would not be striking for a fare increase. The consensus was that while the Associations and their members have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and would be appreciative of a fare increase, the Association indicated to the Transport Authority that they felt it unreasonable to make a fare increase demand during these difficult and trying times for the nation.

The Authority is therefore appealing to operators of public passenger vehicles to let good sense prevail and continue the dialogue to improving the fare package and development of the sector.