While Port-of-Spain to San Fernando and Chaguanas to San Fernando taxi drivers threaten legal action against the San Fernando City Corporation over the planned relocation of their hubs to King’s Wharf, business stakeholders believe it is a move that will benefit the City.
President of the San Fernando Business Association Daphne Bartlett told Guardian Media yesterday that King’s Wharf may be the best place for the taxis, especially the “eight-seater maxi-taxis disguised as cars”.
Greater San Fernando Chamber of Commerce Kiran Singh also said that something has to be done about the perennial problem of traffic congestion in the City’s shopping district.
On Monday, the taxis are expected to move from their library corner hub to the Wharf next to Plaza San Carlos where the Public Transportation Service Corporation operates. They will share the space with Point Fortin and Fyzabad maxi-taxis which have been there for the past decade.
But in a press conference held at Library Corner on Tuesday, president of the T&T Taxi Driver Network Adrian Acosta said they will fight the move through the courts.
Acosta said the drivers will oppose the move legally as the area is unsafe and impractical, adding that the Wharf is dark, dismal, has vagrants, smells bad and has no toilet facilities. He said that the San Fernando, Chaguanas and Curepe taxi drivers bring approximately 15,000 passengers daily to High Street and without them, businesses will suffer.
However, Bartlett said that those taxis more or less transport workers and commuters to and from Port-of-Spain.
“They don’t really bring business to the City. I agree with the mayor that they should be placed in a proper hub. What I would like to advise is for him to put adequate security by the Wharf because you do not want people to be robbed,” Bartlett said.
Singh explained that several drivers create an additional lane on the roads while waiting to get into the taxi queue. When this happens, it causes congestion, which is a discouragement for shoppers, especially those with vehicles to drive along High Street and Library Corner. With Gulf City, C3 Centre and South Park providing easy parking and access, it creates heavy competition for those businesses in San Fernando’s shopping area.
Singh is hopeful that traffic wardens and municipal police tackle indiscriminate parking and driving by taxi drivers aggressively.
While security was an issue for the taxi drivers, Regrello said that they would only utilise the Wharf from 6 am-5.30 pm. During late hours, they are free to return to Library Corner as the business day would be done and there would be less traffic on the roads.
But Point Fortin maxi-taxi drivers said that crime was not a problem for them on the Wharf. A Maharaj, who has operated the route for 16 years, said the area is safe during the daytime. He said besides a “few pipers looking a bit shady”, their passengers use the hub safely.
R Samaroo said that the relocation of the taxi drivers can work, however, the layout of the queues for drivers were unsafe. He said that because the queues are so close together, if any vehicle stalls, catches on fire or there is an emergency that requires a driver to leave, many drivers will be boxed in as there would be no room to turn. The maxi-taxi drivers want Regrello to rework the layout to include emergency lanes.
They also want the same privilege to use Library Corner at late hours to seek out passengers as they said no one visits the Wharf after 6 pm.