It's a necessary evil–mandatory in some instances, but unsafe in others.
The prevalence of PH taxis, or unlicensed taxis, in Trinidad and Tobago has eased transportation woes for many commuters, especially during peak hours. It also a godsend for commuters who live in new developments and remote areas that do not have a regularised taxi service, and where PH cars are the only form of transportation. And at late hours of the night, when licensed H cars stop work, the PH cars take up the slack.
Most of the PH taxis are driven by young men, some no older than 30. The popular cars used are the Nissan Almeras and the B15 and B14 Nissan Sentras.
Some drivers admit that the main purpose of "pulling bull" is to pay off loans they took to get the vehicles they drive. But while there are some drivers who work honestly to put extra money in their pockets, there are drivers who work in tandem with others to lure victims to be kidnapped, robbed, raped and ultimately, killed. Last week, Mayor of Chaguanas Surujrattan Rambachan called on the Commissioner of Police to clamp down on PH taxis. He was outraged by the killing of 15-year-old Devika Lalman, whose family believe she may have been murdered after boarding a PH taxi to get to her home. The teen went missing for five days before she was found dead by a farmer in a rice field in Cunupia. This is not the first incident of its kind in the borough, as in 2007 there were several attacks on female passengers, allegedly by men posing as PH taxi drivers.
Grace period?
Taking PH cars off the road completely would mean inconveniencing commuters, especially in rural areas, but Rambachan feels efforts must be made to regularise these drivers.
"Those drivers should be given some kind of grace period to get regularised, but in the meantime, the authority must find a way to identify and register them," he said. He suggested: In the interim, PH drivers should be given a sticker stating their temporary taxi service, which must include the driver's name and photo. Another temporary measure, he noted, could be implementation of a special colour code system to identify unlicensed taxis, as well as the areas in which they worked. "Each area would have its own colour, so when passengers get on the stand they will be able know right away exactly which taxi is heading where," he said. But even with an H on the number plate, taxis are not safe, Rambachan noted. "There are some criminals who go as far as illegally changing the number plate to H to gain the trust of passengers, so it will be easier to attack them," he said.
Bad name
When he read in the newspaper that Rambachan had called for a clampdown on PH taxis, Trevor Gill was enraged. "It real unfair to let all of us honest drivers pay for the sins of a few. I have a job and this is not my car. That's why I don't do this full time." Gill plies the Enterprise, Chaguanas route. After his day-job as a pump attendant, Gill takes his friend's car from 6 pm on some days. He rakes in about $300 for the night, $150 of which he gives to his friend. Another driver feels that if PH taxis are taken off the road, the crime rate will increase. "Half of the PH drivers see driving taxi as their job. That is the only way for them to get money, so stopping them would just make matters worse," he said.
