Victimisation of maxi taxi drivers

THE EDITOR: Policemen continue to ignore real crime and offenders. Don’t get me wrong at all, not all policemen do that, just those few who like to abuse their power.

I’m a person who does not own a vehicle, so I rely on public transportation. Maxi taxis travelling the Chaguanas-Curepe route always have to go to Curepe. I was walking along the pavement when a maxi taxi had stopped to pick up passengers. A police car coming behind the vehicle ordered the passengers out and the driver of the said maxi taxi to leave and not return. I was astonished. He was in no violation. He did not park in the middle of the road, he had his indicator lights on and he was not at the maxi taxi restriction sign.

Another incident was at Chin Chin Junction at Cunupia, which those familiar with the area would know how busy it is at times. A person had stopped, I’m not sure if he had parked in the middle of the road, got out and did not return until more than 10 minutes later. This in turn caused a traffic pile up. The driver was aware of the situation, but he had thought it was more important to talk to a girl across the street. The point of the story? The police station was about five to ten metres away, hardly a stroll. Yet they never realised the traffic. But let any maxi taxi or taxi stop at the side to pick up passengers, they would have checked every document, person and still give a lecture to the inconvenience to us, the passengers. These are just two instances. There are many, but these are the most recent to me.

Policemen usually pick on particular maxi taxi men and taxi men to point out all their wrongs. Even stop them to give them a ticket for a simple thing as no bins when some maxis have neither a fire extinguisher or a working emergency exit and a whole lot more violations. PH taxis working along the Chaguanas-Chin Chin Road route is the best example of police ignorance. I’m not sure if it’s legal to work taxi without receiving a taxi badge or even with a PH car. But why should people who spent their money to receive a taxi badge and licensed their cars or maxis to ‘H’ be allowed to work anyway.  It seems that they are just stealing people’s livelihood because they want to make some ‘easy money, if that’s what they call it. It should become compulsory, if it’s not, for them to have both the ‘H’ licence and taxi badge. This will cut back in a lot of illegalities in the traffic sector.

Many people would say maxi taxi drivers are bad drivers and are a reckless bunch of people. If passengers are to be dropped off, these vehicles are required to stop. It’s those who refuse to put on their indicators who are wrong. Maxi drivers do have a bad reputation, but should that be a reason to victimise them for doing their job. Policemen need to focus on the real traffic crime violators, not the ‘small crime,’ such as no garbage bin, or the drivers whom they don’t like. These officers need to get in touch with their jobs.

MELISSA 
BRIDGEMOHAN
Chin Chin Road
Cunupia