Separate investigations by the Integrity Chamber and Foundation Government Accountants Bureau SOAB (see Thursday newspaper) indicated what many already feared. They paint a picture of administrative as well as legal failures and even political inference in the issuing of taxi and bus licences.
Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten said any permits that fail to comply with existing regulations and requirements will be revoked. Missing documents, circumvention of proper procedures and lack of internal oversight were listed.
In response, the confirmation letter process has been reinstated and all current passenger transport operators must submit one by August 8. Up to Wednesday there were reportedly still 131 uncollected letters from taxi and 163 from bus drivers.
The editorial of May 21 mentioned that this minister had already in June 2024 announced putting a hold on giving out such licences. It was revealed at the time that caps existed of 550 for taxis and 350 for buses, of which respectively 521 and 264 were active.
Related moratoria as well as lifting these has been commonplace since 2010 and likely even before. In November 2012, then-minister Romeo Pantophlet said he would issue 30 bus and 70 taxi licences before placing a freeze on such.
Four years later, then-minister Ingrid Arrindell reported a moratorium of her own and claimed having denied 384 taxi licence requests. Then-minister Arthur Lambriex in March 2024 confirmed 142 taxi and 97 bus licences had been granted the prior year.
As pointed out in this column two months ago, too often in the recent past have so-called freezes seemed to somehow experience “speed defrost” particularly when elections come around.
