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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>Subject:</B> US Virgin
Islands: Taxi Rules To Be Enforced<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
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<P><BR>V.I. to crack down on 'dollar rides,' and taxi abuses<BR>By LYNN
FREEHILL<BR>Tuesday, March 18th 2008<BR><BR>ST. JOHN - Dollar rides on St.
Thomas - along with an<BR>undercutting rate for taxi rides to the Westin
St.<BR>John Resort & Villas - soon will be eliminated,<BR>a new industry
regulation official announced Monday.<BR><BR>Judith Wheatley worked to set the
tone for a fair,<BR>reforming tenure as the new Taxicab Division director<BR>at
the V.I. Department of Licensing and Consumer<BR>Affairs. At Monday's town hall
meeting on St. John<BR>taxi issues, Wheatley made her first public
appearance<BR>since taking the position March 11.<BR><BR>St. John Administrator
Leona Smith called the meeting,<BR>inviting officials from the V.I. Port
Authority, V.I.<BR>National Park, V.I. Waste Management Authority,<BR>V.I.
Bureau of Motor Vehicles, V.I. Legislature and<BR>DLCA to address queries about
the industry.<BR><BR>But it was Wheatley who fielded the most questions<BR>after
making bold opening statements about cleaning up<BR>the industry's
problems.<BR><BR>A 23-year veteran of the taxi industry, Wheatley<BR>previously
was a partner in Wheatley Taxi on St.<BR>Thomas and served as co-chair of Taxis
in Unity, a<BR>lobbying<BR>organization encompassing all major taxi
associations.<BR><BR>The so-called "dollar rides" that cater to locals
with<BR>$1 rates along fixed routes are not rightful taxis,<BR>Wheatley said.
The Taxicab Division, she said,<BR>will be working with the V.I. Public Works
Department<BR>to obtain smaller public buses that will go into<BR>Charlotte
Amalie and replace dollar rides.<BR><BR>"When that happens, dollar run is out.
You're either a<BR>taxi or not a taxi," she said. "You can't be a bus<BR>with
taxi plates. That's going to be out the door."<BR><BR>Public Works Commissioner
Darryl Smalls is trying to<BR>identify federal funds for smaller buses that
would<BR>run territorywide, he said Monday evening. Around<BR>$2 million is
estimated to be needed, he said, and<BR>Public Works already has about $650,000
in place.<BR><BR>The smaller buses would be wheelchair-accessib<WBR>le,
and<BR>would carry 15 or 16 passengers, Smalls said. The<BR>department could
have half of them in place by the<BR>end of the year. But logistics still are
being worked<BR>out, he said.<BR><BR>"We recognize that the dollar buses are a
challenge,<BR>and obviously if we are more reliable and more<BR>efficient, we
would be in a better position to serve<BR>people who are utilizing that
service," Smalls said.<BR><BR>Current dollar ride drivers could apply to be
bus<BR>drivers if they liked, but would have to operate under<BR>regulation fare
rates if they wanted to continue<BR>driving their own vehicles, Wheatley said.
DLCA does<BR>not have any estimate of how many drivers operate<BR>dollar rides,
she said.<BR><BR>The St. John audience of around 40 taxi drivers and<BR>island
residents took the news about St. Thomas dollar<BR>rides in stride.<BR><BR>The
issue of certain drivers charging $4 per person<BR>for transport between Cruz
Bay and the Westin,<BR>however, generated heat. The official tariff for
that<BR>route is $5 per person.<BR><BR>Regular Westin taxi operator Frank Powell
Jr. said the<BR>discrepancy came about through confusion when rates<BR>were
increased from $2.50 per person. The St.<BR>John drivers had all agreed not to
double that rate,<BR>he said, and were surprised when the paperwork
that<BR>ultimately came back from St. Thomas listed $5.<BR><BR>Regardless of how
it came about, the current official<BR>rate is the legal rate, Wheatley said.
"To tell you<BR>ladies and gentlemen on St. John, I still intend<BR>to reinstate
the legitimate fare with Westin," she<BR>said to applause. "I cannot be for one
where it<BR>affects the majority. I have to do what's right."<BR><BR>Also during
the more than two-hour town hall meeting,<BR>DLCA legal counsel Fred Norford
reminded taxi<BR>operators of certain important rules:<BR><BR>- Soliciting by
non-members of a taxi association is<BR>prohibited within 50 feet of the
association'<WBR>s stand.<BR><BR>- Drivers shall not smoke while carrying
passengers<BR>and must not drink alcohol while on duty.<BR><BR>- Blind
passengers traveling with a seeing-eye dog<BR>cannot be refused
service.<BR><BR>- Drivers should dress neatly, be courteous and<BR>provide their
names and identification numbers upon<BR>request.<BR><BR>Wheatley invited
drivers to establish open<BR>communication lines with her and to call 774-3130
ext.<BR>262 if ever they had a problem.<BR><BR>- Contact Lynn Freehill at
774-8772 ext. 311 or e-mail<BR><A
href="mailto:lfreehill%40dailynews.vi">lfreehill@dailynews<WBR>.vi</A>.<BR><BR><A
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