[Cagdu] FW: US Virgin Islands: Taxi Rules To Be Enforced
tina thomas
tinadt at sbcglobal.net
Mon Mar 24 15:22:07 PDT 2008
Subject: US Virgin Islands: Taxi Rules To Be Enforced
V.I. to crack down on 'dollar rides,' and taxi abuses
By LYNN FREEHILL
Tuesday, March 18th 2008
ST. JOHN - Dollar rides on St. Thomas - along with an
undercutting rate for taxi rides to the Westin St.
John Resort & Villas - soon will be eliminated,
a new industry regulation official announced Monday.
Judith Wheatley worked to set the tone for a fair,
reforming tenure as the new Taxicab Division director
at the V.I. Department of Licensing and Consumer
Affairs. At Monday's town hall meeting on St. John
taxi issues, Wheatley made her first public appearance
since taking the position March 11.
St. John Administrator Leona Smith called the meeting,
inviting officials from the V.I. Port Authority, V.I.
National Park, V.I. Waste Management Authority,
V.I. Bureau of Motor Vehicles, V.I. Legislature and
DLCA to address queries about the industry.
But it was Wheatley who fielded the most questions
after making bold opening statements about cleaning up
the industry's problems.
A 23-year veteran of the taxi industry, Wheatley
previously was a partner in Wheatley Taxi on St.
Thomas and served as co-chair of Taxis in Unity, a
lobbying
organization encompassing all major taxi associations.
The so-called "dollar rides" that cater to locals with
$1 rates along fixed routes are not rightful taxis,
Wheatley said. The Taxicab Division, she said,
will be working with the V.I. Public Works Department
to obtain smaller public buses that will go into
Charlotte Amalie and replace dollar rides.
"When that happens, dollar run is out. You're either a
taxi or not a taxi," she said. "You can't be a bus
with taxi plates. That's going to be out the door."
Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls is trying to
identify federal funds for smaller buses that would
run territorywide, he said Monday evening. Around
$2 million is estimated to be needed, he said, and
Public Works already has about $650,000 in place.
The smaller buses would be wheelchair-accessible, and
would carry 15 or 16 passengers, Smalls said. The
department could have half of them in place by the
end of the year. But logistics still are being worked
out, he said.
"We recognize that the dollar buses are a challenge,
and obviously if we are more reliable and more
efficient, we would be in a better position to serve
people who are utilizing that service," Smalls said.
Current dollar ride drivers could apply to be bus
drivers if they liked, but would have to operate under
regulation fare rates if they wanted to continue
driving their own vehicles, Wheatley said. DLCA does
not have any estimate of how many drivers operate
dollar rides, she said.
The St. John audience of around 40 taxi drivers and
island residents took the news about St. Thomas dollar
rides in stride.
The issue of certain drivers charging $4 per person
for transport between Cruz Bay and the Westin,
however, generated heat. The official tariff for that
route is $5 per person.
Regular Westin taxi operator Frank Powell Jr. said the
discrepancy came about through confusion when rates
were increased from $2.50 per person. The St.
John drivers had all agreed not to double that rate,
he said, and were surprised when the paperwork that
ultimately came back from St. Thomas listed $5.
Regardless of how it came about, the current official
rate is the legal rate, Wheatley said. "To tell you
ladies and gentlemen on St. John, I still intend
to reinstate the legitimate fare with Westin," she
said to applause. "I cannot be for one where it
affects the majority. I have to do what's right."
Also during the more than two-hour town hall meeting,
DLCA legal counsel Fred Norford reminded taxi
operators of certain important rules:
- Soliciting by non-members of a taxi association is
prohibited within 50 feet of the association's stand.
- Drivers shall not smoke while carrying passengers
and must not drink alcohol while on duty.
- Blind passengers traveling with a seeing-eye dog
cannot be refused service.
- Drivers should dress neatly, be courteous and
provide their names and identification numbers upon
request.
Wheatley invited drivers to establish open
communication lines with her and to call 774-3130 ext.
262 if ever they had a problem.
- Contact Lynn Freehill at 774-8772 ext. 311 or e-mail
lfreehill at dailynews <mailto:lfreehill%40dailynews.vi> .vi.
http://www.virginis
<http://www.virginislandsdailynews.comads.virginislandsdilynews.com/index.pl
/article_home?id=17622112>
landsdailynews.comads.virginislandsdilynews.com/index.pl/article_home?id=176
22112
__________________________________________________________
Looking for last minute shopping deals?
Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.
<http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping>
search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping
__._,_.___
Messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/message/741;_ylc=X3oDMTMyamJvN2EyBF9T
Azk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BG1zZ0lkAzc0MQRzZWMD
ZnRyBHNsawN2dHBjBHN0aW1lAzEyMDU5NTk5NDAEdHBjSWQDNzQx> in this topic (1)
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJvMWcwMjkyBF9TAzk3MzU
5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BG1zZ0lkAzc0MQRzZWMDZnRyBHN
sawNycGx5BHN0aW1lAzEyMDU5NTk5NDA-?act=reply&messageNum=741> Reply (via web
post) | Start
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJlMjlmYms2BF9TAzk3MzU
5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA250cGMEc3R
pbWUDMTIwNTk1OTk0MA--> a new topic
Messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/messages;_ylc=X3oDMTJlaThtcnM5BF9TAzk
3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA21zZ3M
Ec3RpbWUDMTIwNTk1OTk0MA-->
For guide dog handlers assisting guide dog handlers with
advocacy/education-- visit:
www.gdui.org or www.nfb-nagdu.org
<http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJkbWp2M2NuBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwN
zQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA2dmcARzdGltZQMxMjA1OTU5OTQw>
Yahoo! Groups
Change
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/join;_ylc=X3oDMTJmZDFuNnI3BF9TAzk3MzU
5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA3N0bmdzBHN
0aW1lAzEyMDU5NTk5NDA-> settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch
<mailto:K9Scoop-digest at yahoogroups.com?subject=Email Delivery: Digest>
delivery to Daily Digest | Switch
<mailto:K9Scoop-traditional at yahoogroups.com?subject=Change Delivery Format:
Traditional> format to Traditional
Visit
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop;_ylc=X3oDMTJkb2k5OXFpBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0
BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA2hwZgRzdGltZQMx
MjA1OTU5OTQw> Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> of Use | Unsubscribe
<mailto:K9Scoop-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com?subject=>
Visit
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop;_ylc=X3oDMTJlOG9rOWg4BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0
BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwN2dGwEc2xrA3ZnaHAEc3RpbWUD
MTIwNTk1OTk0MA--> Your Group
Find helpful tips
for
<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13obcumf7/M=493064.12016258.12582637.8674578/D=
groups/S=1707505247:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1205967140/L=/B=Yy.sCNFJq1w-/J=1205959940
279742/A=5191954/R=0/SIG=112mhte3e/*http://www.ygroupsblog.com/blog/>
Moderators
on the Yahoo!
Groups team blog.
Drive Traffic
Sponsored
<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13opm51hh/M=493064.12016255.12445662.8674578/D=
groups/S=1707505247:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1205967140/L=/B=ZC.sCNFJq1w-/J=1205959940
279742/A=4025338/R=0/SIG=12jnci1fd/*http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=44092/*http:/
/searchmarketing.yahoo.com/srch/index.php> Search
can help increase
your site traffic.
Move More
on
<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13pg1h1c3/M=493064.12016299.12445691.11322765/D
=groups/S=1707505247:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1205967140/L=/B=ZS.sCNFJq1w-/J=120595994
0279742/A=4990216/R=0/SIG=11d53kq3t/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/cur
ves/> Yahoo! Groups
This is your life
not a phys-ed class.
.
<http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=7074252/grpspId=1707505247/msgId
=741/stime=1205959940/nc1=5191954/nc2=4025338/nc3=4990216>
__,_._,___
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20080324/fd6018ee/attachment.html
More information about the Cagdu
mailing list