When the reports of SOAB and the Integrity Chamber of Sint Maarten about the Government licensing process in the public transportation sector were issued recently, the general conclusions confirmed what many citizens on the island had suspected for years.
The investigation of The Integrity Chamber, for example, revealed a lack of compliance to the legislative framework with the issuance of bus and taxi licences in 2023. Examples include licences being issued prior to the publishing of the revised Moratorium Policy 2023, licences being requested and granted outside of the official deadlines, incomplete application files for licence holders, and the absence of a Public Transportation Committee.
The investigation also revealed key areas of concern, including the determination of the number of licences that could be issued based on arbitrary information, the absence of written processes and procedures, the lack of checks-and-balances in the process, the broad interpretation of the regulations, and the presence of integrity risks such as the Minister’s use of discretionary authority.
Over the years this opaque process has resulted in what seems like an over-saturation of taxi and bus licences. This became abundantly clear on Wednesday, when Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten announced the results of a survey her staff had conducted among public transportation licence holders.
She confirmed that there are a few more than 600 taxi drivers registered in the system, which is more than the previously assumed 521. Of these 600-plus drivers, more than 400 have been issued confirmation letters. The Department conducted a full Know Your Customer process and clean-up on 247 of those 400, verifying detailed information such as age and other data. This represents about 65% who are now legally operating.
Of the 247 taxi permit holders only two drivers are between the ages of 21 and 30, while a combined total of 137 drivers fall within the 61-80 age bracket, with 70 permit holders between 61 and 70 years old and 67 between 71 and 80 years old. In addition to the younger and older groups, there are 14 drivers between the ages of 31 and 40, 40 between 41 and 50, and 42 between 51 and 60, while 7 drivers fall within the 81-90 age range. There is even one driver aged between 91 and 100 years old.
This raises interesting questions about the sustainability of the sector. Further research is warranted into the reasons as to why young people are turning away from the chance to be one of the island’s “First Ambassadors”. Is it because they feel they are not getting a fair chance in what at least in the public perception appeared to be a rigged system of favouritism? Or are there other reasons for their choosing a different career path?
The TEATT Minister on Wednesday also outlined a five-phased plan to fundamentally reform the sector, which ultimately will result in the establishment of a Transport Authority to oversee public transport regulation and to transition oversight responsibilities from the government to this new body. While these plans sound laudable, a note of caution is in order about the island’s checkered history of failed attempts to establish economic sector oversight authorities. While the first steps appear promising, you don’t judge a taxi by its paint job, but by how reliably it gets you where you need to go.
