The national Maxi Taxi Association (MTA), which hasn’t been consulted on the People’s National Movement’s plan for a rapid rail system, has warned it will not stand idly by for any system that may threaten the livelihood of the 50,000 voters involved in its sector. “This is the second time operators haven’t been consulted on the rapid rail system. The first was with the previous PNM government’s rapid rail plan. So we’re watching,” MTA vice president Linus Phillip said on Sunday.
Phillip spoke after MTA members met with Finance Ministry officials to work out logistics of Government’s $35 million rebate for operators. The rebate was announced during the 2015 budget in lieu of remission of taxes from a tax waiver for operators under the former PNM adminstration in 2005. The maxi-taxi owners were, however, not paid. In last Friday’s budget debate, PNM leader Dr Keith Rowley reiterated the party would pursue the rapid rail idea which the previous government was pursuing. This starts with the East-West corridor, he said.
But Phillips who heads MTA’s East-West (red band) corridor branch said, “Our industry represents six associations nationwide. It includes 2,000 East-West operators and comprises 20,000 people, including operators, drivers, conductors, mechanics, affiliated services—overall, about 50,000 voters including families. “We heard the rapid rail announcement last year and this year from the Opposition Leader who’s aspiring to become prime minister. Yet no one has seen fit to meet with us, the main stakeholders, to hear our views on this latest rapid rail idea and how it might affect us. So we have the same concerns we had with the last rapid rail plan.”
Phillip said operators were encouraged by the last PNM government to purchase maxis with special concessions, yet received a runaround to get promised rebates and then the PNM sought the rapid rail plan “that could have put us out of business.” He said the last administration had told operators what it wanted them to do in the last rapid rail project, rather than consult with them.
“They told us they wanted us to operate feeder bands which wasn’t viable. We got so little information from the then government on the plan, it was the Trinitrain people in the project who told us the proposed RR fare from Port-of-Spain to Arima would be no less than $10. “So we don’t know what the future will be for operators with this latest idea and its implications for our financial commitments. If the rapid rail idea is to reduce the fuel subsidy, it creates another problem if 20,000 people in our industry go on the breadline.”
Phillips added, “No government—not even the PP—has outlined a transport policy needed for the sector. But any government that puts industry members on the breadline should think twice. We told the last PNM administration (in 2010) how we felt about the first rapid rail plan and non-rebates. “If (RR) is the way they want to go again and if the Opposition wishes to operate in such an ad-hoc manner, a time will come next year when everyone—PNM, PP—will all have to come to us. We won’t be pushed around or slighted. We’ll advise members to suit. Our motto is you touch one, you touch all.”
PNM’s RR promise
During his budget presentation, Opposition leader Dr Keith Rowley said the PNM will revisit its rapid rail plan if returned to office. “In 2015 we’d immediately invite the IDB to provide a technical review of this issue and report to us on the technical feasibility and economics of a mass transit system. Once the outcome is positive the PNM would build the rapid transit system. “We would engage the IDB for long term funding and tie some aspects of the repayment of this concessionary loan to the gradual and sustained reduction in the gas subsidy expenditure.”
