A proposed new Public Transport Law includes provisions that would require all taxis to install meters, a code of conduct for drivers and create a director of Public Transport and two deputies.
A meeting on Wednesday evening held by tourism officials shared with the public transport and tour operators what would be included in the proposed new law.
The proposed legislative reform and properly establishing the Public Transport Unit for the Cayman Islands is very important for the future of the transportation industry, said Minister for Tourism Charles Clifford.
‘It is important that we hear your comments on it; your suggestions on it,’ he told attendees.
He said there is general consensus that more discipline needs to be brought into the service and this would be possible through the new system and legislative framework.
‘If we don’t have a disciplined and organised public transportation system we’re not going to offer the level of service that people expect from this jurisdiction and if we allow that to continue or become worse then it cannot be in the interest of our tourism industry. Our numbers will decline and I don’t have to tell you what that means for all of us in this room.’
Chief Officer in the Ministry Gloria McField-Nixon said that in the past public transport was part of the vehicle licensing unit and therefore had no dedicated attention to it.
‘As we have begun to separate the Public Transport Unit in recognition of the fact that your numbers have grown, the number of vehicles that you represent have increased and the business that you do has become increasingly complex, we have set up the Public Transport Unit and we have done so to make sure now that it has the power necessary to regulate the industry but also that it has a better understanding of the work that you do.’
The new law would consolidate all the separate legislation dealing with public transportation in a dedicated piece of legislation that deals with issues affecting the sector.
‘By doing so we hope to streamline the regulatory framework without compromising standards,’ she said.
Improving the quality and timeliness of service provided to public transport operators and improving the quality of public transport services to the consumer are the aims.
The law takes into consideration various categories of public service providers, including livery services, courtesy services, metered taxis, unscheduled service (including minbus or omnibus service), scheduled service, tour service and staff service.
In terms of improving the efficiencies of the Public Transport Board itself, they are looking at mandating monthly meetings, introducing compensation for non-governmental board members, ensuring majority voting of those present will suffice and that inactive members automatically fall away. ‘The idea is to make sure that the PTB is meeting regularly, is being properly convened, is making decisions and is communicating those decisions to the sector,’ said Ms McField-Nixon.
Under the proposed legislation, prompt action can be taken by Public Transport officers when people break the law.
Repeat offenders will be punished for breach of the law through a points system of penalisation for public transport offences.
Other key provisions being recommended is a requirement that all taxis install meters. Meters will alleviate conflict between the taxi driver and customer. It will also stamp out predatory pricing. ‘Meters protect everyone. It protects you and the person beside you so that you’re not unduly criticised with being any kind of thief and at the same time the customer feels as though there is an actual system in place,’ she said.
Also being proposed is a code of conduct for public transport operators.
A stand alone office will be established for the Public Transport Unit with a director and two deputy director positions, along with a training officer.
There is provision in the law for the PTB to frame a proper policy to address the range of issues the industry faces.
Although the meeting was set up to present the proposals and to gain feedback on the proposals, there was only a small amount of feedback given.
One operator said that metres could cause a customer’s fare to really spike if the driver gets caught in a traffic jam. ‘Look into that and see what the scrutiny is going to be.’ While he said he agrees with the meter system, the distance issue could pose a problem.
‘This is an area that we have much fine tuning to do in order to make sure it works properly,’ said the Minister, taking note of the point.
Other operators asked for a copy of the proposed legislation so they would know what they would have to comply with.
Following the meeting, the Ministry of Tourism said it would make available Ms McField-Nixon’s presentation to the operators.
Many operators asked the Minister to control the number of pre-booked cruise tours, complaining that there are no tourists left for those who do not pre-book, and they complained about the system of dispatch to collect passengers in George Town.
Minister Clifford said pre-booked tours have been a problem for many years and it is an issue in the region in general. He said the new regime being put in place would help operators to better organise themselves and perhaps become involved in pre-booking tours in what is a free market for enterprise.
‘We’re going to have a much better opportunity than we’ve ever had before to fix all of these problems because we’re about to have a dedicated unit, a dedicated focus on public transportation.’
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