"You can't please all of the people all the time but at the end of the day I think this is in the best interest of the public," Warner said, during a meeting with the Route Two Maxi-Taxi Association at his ministry on Richmond Street in Port-of-Spain. It was the fifth time Warner met with the association since he assumed office. The association had raised concerns over proposed regularisation of "PH" drivers announced by Warner last year.
During yesterday's meeting, however, Warner made it clear: "My friends, the 'PH' taxi drivers shall be regularised and that shall become law in 30 days." Warner said people wishing to operate as 'PH' drivers will be issued special permits and must have a certificate of good character. He said the Transport Commission would determine whether a person could be issued a permit if that person committed a minor offence. Asked about insurance for "PH" cars, head of the ministry's legal team, Marvin Gonzales, said it would be similar to hired vehicles.
"At the end of the day what we are looking at is public safety and we do not want any particular or specific conditions that may obtain for 'PH' that may put passengers at risk in terms of accidents," he said.
"Therefore at the end of the day, what the ministry proposes or what the ministry would like for the 'PH' taxis, in terms of the insurance policies, would be pretty much what obtains for hired vehicles." Warner said a possible solution to traffic congestion in Port-of-Spain is reintroducing the wrecking service.
"What we have to do now is to find solutions for in Port-of-Spain itself and it may very well mean bringing back the wrecking service," he said. Warner said people parked indiscriminately on the two sides of the street and that "had to be fixed." Questioned about the traffic flow since the opening of the new interchange at Aranguez last week, Warner said the feedback "has been excellent."