Works Minister Rohan Sinanan is late with his response to the arrival of Uber in T&T. It was hardly a secret that the service was about to begin operating locally, so that the minister and his predecessor in that portfolio had plenty of time over the last few months to look into issues of legality.
Not that Mr Sinanan's queries are new or different from the challenges the service has faced in other parts of the world from governments and taxi companies. For almost as long as the app enabled service has existed, there have been concerns about the fact that Uber drivers are not licensed to drive taxis and detractors have argued that it is unsafe and illegal to use them for any transportation service.
Uber was banned in Berlin, Germany, although it operates in other parts of that country. In London, Paris and Madrid, taxi drivers have staged large-scale protests against the service.
In the case of T&T, the minister and others raising questions about the service are pointing to the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act Chapter 48:50, which stipulates that only a holder of a taxi driver's licence issued by the Licensing Authority can be lawfully hired to provide transport. There is also the matter of using a private motor vehicle for a purpose other than what it was registered for, making it an offence for anyone to operate a motor vehicle registered for private use to transport people for profit or gain.
However, there have been flagrant breaches of these laws long before the arrival of Uber, which only went live on Monday morning. Inadequacies in the services provided by the Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC), maxi-taxis and hired motor vehicles have created opportunities for the proliferation of "PH" taxis.
In many communities, especially in rural areas and some new residential developments, the only available transportation is the "PH" taxi and many citizens rely heavily on them, particularly at late hours and on out of the way routes.
Uber simply adds another dimension to an issue that has been discussed for decades, with no workable solutions ever found.
Just a few years ago, one of Mr Sinanan's predecessors in the Works and Transport Minister, Austin "Jack" Warner, attempted to develop a regulatory framework under which "PH" drivers could operate. That effort ended when Mr Warner moved on to another ministerial portfolio, however, so that "PH" taxis are still unregulated.
Uber, a worldwide service originating in the United States, represents the most significant development in T&T's transportation state since the introduction of the maxi taxi industry in 1979.
The commercial bus service operated by the PTSC, in existence since 1965, has hardly, if ever, lived up to its mandate of providing a safe, clean and inexpensive transport service, so while it is far cheaper than maxi taxis and conventional taxis, it is also much more inefficient.
Uber adds a new dimension to the transport options available to citizens as a customer can now use a smartphones to request transportation which is literally door-to-door. That means no frustrating long waits in queues at City Gate or at a taxi hub, no more risk of being dropped off short by unscrupulous drivers.
There are also security features built into the system which are not available with the conventional or "PH" taxis.
Mr Sinanan and his legal team are due to meet with Uber's local representatives today. Hopefully those discussions will be fruitful, allowing for the service to operate here, filling the many gaps and eradicating many of the inefficiencies in the transportation sector.