By KEILE CAMPBELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamas Taxi Cab Union is seeking another meeting with Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis before deciding its next course of action over unresolved grievances, including demands for an increase of at least $5 on most taxi fares amid rising fuel and operating costs.
Union president Tyrone Butler said yesterday that taxi drivers had been seeking a fare adjustment for six months but had yet to receive a response from Minister of Transport Leon Lundy despite repeated requests.
Mr Butler said the union’s grievances remained unresolved despite previous discussions with government officials, including a September 18 meeting with the prime minister. He accused Mr Lundy of failing to adequately address concerns affecting taxi drivers.
He said the meeting with Mr Davis was cut short because the prime minister had to attend the funeral of former Cabinet minister Neville Wisdom, leaving several issues undiscussed.The union subsequently submitted a package of grievances to Mr Davis and received communication last week indicating that the concerns had been forwarded to Mr Lundy for action. However, Mr Butler said the union had yet to receive a response from the minister.
"Nothing has changed, unfortunately," Mr Butler said. "We did have a brief meeting with the Prime Minister to express our displeasure and discuss the lack of cooperation coming from the minister, and even that hasn't really yielded much success."
Mr Butler said the union was seeking an increase of at least $5 on most taxi fares but was willing to negotiate adjustments to individual rates, including smaller increases if the government could not accommodate its full proposal.
Unlike bus fares, which are fixed, taxi fares vary according to destination.
"I think the timing right now would warrant a permanent increase because of the cost of living and the rate of inflation," Mr Butler said. "So even a temporary increase would probably need to be permanent right now, based on the time frame that we got the last increase."
The union’s latest call for higher fares comes amid further petrol price increases, with an Esso dealer reporting earlier this month that prices were expected to climb from $7.06 to $7.50 per gallon. The last taxi fare increase came in 2024, when then Minister of Energy and Transport JoBeth Coleby-Davis announced a 10 per cent adjustment for New Providence operators, their first increase since 2017.
The revised fares were gazetted in March and formally announced on April 5 following negotiations involving the government, Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association and the union.
Beyond the proposed fare adjustment, Mr Butler raised concerns about the Road Traffic Department, accusing officers of harassing taxi drivers and imposing penalties without following proper disciplinary procedures.
He claimed officers were penalising drivers for alleged infractions, including dress-code violations, rather than issuing citations and referring matters to the controller for review.
He also accused the department of introducing changes to vehicle-age requirements and requiring drivers to obtain new certificates before their existing documents expired.
Mr Butler recalled an incident in which a taxi driver allegedly lost more than $300 after a Road Traffic officer confronted him over his footwear upon returning to the cruise port from a tour.
He claimed the driver asked to finish collecting payment from his passengers before addressing the officer, but the officer allegedly instructed the visitors not to pay him, prompting them to leave without settling the fare.
"That's not the way things are done," Mr Butler said.
"There's nothing in that. That's something he made up of his own," he added when asked whether regulations permitted such an action.
Mr Butler also expressed frustration with Mr Lundy’s handling of the union’s concerns, accusing him of failing to honour commitments made during previous discussions.
"Right now, as it is, I have a letter in front of me that I'm going to send over to his office again, but looks like sending letters and making requests and making phone calls really doesn't matter," he said.
Mr Butler said the union hoped to complete its discussions with the prime minister before determining its next move, maintaining that negotiations remained its preferred approach to resolving the disputes.
However, he did not rule out industrial action.
"The union is not going to be silent forever," he said.