By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The “completely antiquated” Road Traffic Act is set for a major overhaul, it was revealed yesterday, as the authorities also prepare to crack down on taxis “circumventing and bypassing” the vehicle inspection process.

Lanecia Darville, the Road Traffic Authority’s chair, told a Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) meeting that there were vehicles on the road that “probably shouldn’t be licensed as taxis” as she acknowledged that the sector’s regulatory framework is “absolutely critical to enhancing the transportation experience” for visitors as well as Bahamians.

However, industry stakeholders also lamented the seeming lack of education among drivers seeking employment with tour operators and others. William Saunders, of Majestic Tours, questioned whether the Bahama Host certification process was properly preparing drivers as one he hired did not know where Gregory’s Arch was.

Noting that an increasing number of drivers appear to be foreigners, he recalled how a friend wanted to go to the Margaritaville Resort in downtown Nassau at The Pointe and the taxi cab operator did not know where it was. Latia Duncombe, the Ministry of Tourism’s director-general, in response said this stem from whether the Bahama Host curriculum was sufficiently broad enough or certain protocols are possibly not being followed.

Ms Darville, meanwhile, pledging that the Road Traffic Act will likely undergo a total transformation, said: “We recognise that our Road Traffic Act is completely antiquated and does not currently address our environmental, our economic or social realities. To-date, we are currently in the process of doing a complete overhaul of the Road Traffic Act, which is by no means a small undertaking. It’s massive.”

She added that too much of The Bahamas’ current road traffic regulatory regime is governed by policies, which are open to different interpretations and can be changed on a whim. This, the Authority chair added, has caused the “inconsistent application of standards across the board”.

“What we intend by this is to modernise and transform the Road Traffic sector,” Ms Darville said. “Currently we’re relying a lot on policy. Often times people cannot articulate policy, and other policies are introduced. It leads to an inconsistent application of standards across the board. We’ll be legislating a lot of things very critical to the visitor experience.”

This, she indicated, will likely include the fitness and propriety of persons to act as taxi drivers and hold franchises. “There should be minimum standards for background and character,” Ms Darville said, pointing to the “inconsistent application” of how drivers ought to be dressed.

“We do currently have regulations on appearance and standards of dress, but that is not currently enforced. Even what currently exists, there’s no uniformity in it in my opinion,” she added. “Look at everyone who, by their standards and opinion, is compliant. It’s not uniform, and that’s another thing we will attempt to address through the Road Traffic Act enhancements.”

Ms Darville revealed the Authority had hoped to launch an enhanced vehicle inspection process for taxis this May, but that deadline is no longer likely to be met. “There’s a lot of persons being able to circumvent the system and circumvent the process,” she asserted. “We do see vehicles on the road that really should not probably be licensed as taxis.

“We’ve now started the process, and will validate the inspection process through decals that will show drivers and vehicles have gone through those steps that are documented. That will be enforced by the authority and will be required to be followed by all persons participating in the inspection process.” Compliance with inspection standards is being viewed as one way to enhance the visitor’s ground transportation experience.

Ms Darville assured Majestic Tours’ Mr Saunders that there would be full consultation on the proposed Road Traffic Act reforms prior to the issuance of a so-called ‘white paper’ inviting feedback from the general public. He agreed that the Act is “old and antiquated, and needs to be changed”, but added: “The biggest problem that we find is the education.”

Noting that all drivers have to pass through Bahama Host training to gain their tour badge and public service badge, Mr Saunders questioned whether the initiative is having the desired effect. “I had a driver that came to us and he did not know where Gregory’s Arch was,” the tour operator recalled. “A lot of drivers cannot speak English. I have a friend who wanted to go to Margaritaville and the driver did not know where Margaritaville was.

“The one thing that was not mentioned in that was the education side of things to ensure the drivers are better prepared not only in Bahama Host but the schools to ensure everybody knows that the guests don’t have to come here; they can go anywhere in the world, and it’s a privilege that we have these guests. That’s one of the big things that we need to be acting on.”