BTOA Raises Concerns Over Ride-Sharing

The Bermuda Taxi Owners & Operators Association [BTOA] has raised concerns over the launch of the Ride-Share Pilot Programme.

A spokesperson said, “The Bermuda Taxi Owners & Operators Association [BTOA] is sounding the alarm that the Ride-Share Pilot Programme is being launched in a transport system where laws already on the books have gone unenforced for more than a decade.

“BTOA’s second article, Ride-Share vs. Reality: Who Regulates?, shows how oversight bodies have consistently failed to do their job:

Key Facts:

• The Public Service Vehicle Licensing Board [PSVLB] is legally required to provide annual reports to the Minister and Legislature. No such reports have been made public in recent years.

• Dispatch companies must meet strict conditions under the Taxi Dispatching Service Regulations, including mandatory GPS and MDT use. Breaches carry fines of $1,400 per day, but enforcement has been virtually non-existent.

• Passenger complaints enter the PSVLB system, but there is no public record of how many are received, how they are resolved, or whether sanctions are imposed.

“Government cannot credibly introduce ride-share when it has not enforced the most basic taxi laws for over a decade. Modernisation must start with enforcement. Without it, ride-share is deregulation in disguise,” said Ricky Tucker, President of the BTOA.

“BTOA calls for the Government to publish complaint data, enforce dispatch regulations, and reinstate PSVLB reporting before expanding Bermuda’s Public Service Vehicle fleet.

“The full article is available on the BTOA website here.”

#BermudaTaxiOwnersAndOperatorsAssociation #Ridesharing #Taxi

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