Maxi drivers threaten to quit work early

RED BAND maxi-taxi drivers want more police patrols on the Priority Bus Route, especially at night. One driver told Newsday, “If we do not get more police protection, we may have to cease work early, and it is the travelling public, especially those who live in the East, that will suffer.” The driver was commenting on the latest incident in which one of their colleagues, Winston Monderoy, was gunned down in his maxi-taxi by bandits Friday night while his conductor-wife looked on helplessly.

President of the Maxi Taxi Association, Victor George, agreed there was need for more police patrols. He said it is a point they had been driving home for years, but no one seemed interested. George intends to call a meeting of all maxi-taxi drivers and owners to devise strategies aimed at curbing the rising incidence of crime as it affects maxi-taxi drivers. One suggestion to halt the criminal activities on the PBR is the introduction of check points along the route, especially that part of the PBR between Laventille and the Morvant Junction, and the strip from Five Rivers to Arima. The drivers also complained about passengers refusing to pay the fare. One driver, while displaying a sharp instrument, surmised that the whole thing could lead to violence.

George himself said while driving his vehicle along the PBR on Saturday, about five young men got out of a maxi when it stopped at a traffic light intersection and refused to pay the driver. He warned his members to be extremely careful when picking up passengers, especially young men who move around together who may be from a gang. There are many other points the Maxi Taxi Association wishes to discuss with the police authorities and with other relevant bodies like the Public Transport Service Corporation.