Governor de Jongh recently hosted a meeting with taxi drivers on St. Croix to allow an opportunity to air their concerns and to have their questions answered by government officials whose agencies interact and regulate the ground transportation industry.

Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. and a host of government officials meet recently with taxi drivers on St. Croix.

Government officials represented the Departments of Tourism, Licensing and Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Economic Development Authority and the Taxicab Commission. 

“I brought the various government representatives to the meeting to provide the opportunity for an open and frank discussion of the concerns of the taxi drivers and allow for their questions to be answered," the governor said said, noting that many of the taxi drivers are appreciative of the opportunity provided for them by the return of regular cruise ship calls to St. Croix. “They have hailed the return of cruise ships as an opportunity for them and they look forward to the continued expansion of the cruise ship visits to the island,” he added.

Some of the concerns raised by the taxi drivers include: sheltering and the availability of public restrooms in the downtown Christiansted area; the reserving of parking spaces in the government parking lot as a staging area for taxi buses; increased visibility of uniformed police officers; procedures for operating a vehicle for hire utilizing a medallion registered in another person’s name; the requirement by the BMV for each taxi to be equipped with a first aid kit and regulation of the licensing requirements by DLCA. Additionally, the taxi drivers sought an update on the schedule for the repaving and patching of roads by the Department of Public Works.

“I am pleased that many of the taxi drivers took the opportunity to have their concerns aired and questions answered,” the governor said, adding that will continue to have regular and open dialogue between government and the taxi industry.