By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Livery Drivers Union president Tory Austin has accused Bahamas Taxicab Union leader Tyrone Butler of trying to push livery drivers out of the industry, saying he is more focused on “taking bread” from people’s mouths than addressing the sector’s real problems.

Mr Austin said his union had tried to work with Mr Butler to ease tensions but claimed the BTCU leader walked away from dialogue.

“We have sat at the table and tried to talk,” Mr Austin told The Tribune. “He walked away from that. He has one agenda, or his main agenda seems to be to remove livery drivers… or to say we are breaking the law, but we are not.”

The clash comes against the backdrop of wider unrest in the transportation sector. Taxi drivers have for months threatened strike action as frustrations mount over livery drivers operating in spaces they insist are reserved for taxis. The BTCU has long argued that livery operators are breaking the law by plying for fares at Lynden Pindling International Airport and at major properties such as Atlantis, the cruise port, and Margaritaville.

Livery drivers, however, say they are not soliciting customers unlawfully and are called on by hotel bellmen when guests request black car services.

“Is it illegal that a guest wants a black car service and it’s conveniently there for them when they want it?” Mr Austin asked.

The two sides also clash over the law itself. Taxi drivers argue the Road Traffic Act empowers the minister to regulate taxi-stands, leaving no space for livery drivers at airport or hotel entrances. Livery operators counter that the legislation is specific to taxis and that their vehicles fall under separate rules.

Union politics have deepened the divide. After returning the taxi union to the Trade Union Congress, Mr Butler has relied on that alliance to press his case, while Mr Austin argues livery drivers have been sidelined instead of treated as legitimate stakeholders.

Mr Austin said the BLDU worked well with former BTCU president Wesley Ferguson and believes both groups should be finding ways to co-exist. Instead, he accused Mr Butler of being “more concerned about taking bread out of people’s mouths than trying to fix” the industry.

Austin said Butler should turn his attention to issues plaguing taxis themselves, such as price gouging and unauthorised tours.

For taxi drivers, the conflict is about more than turf. They say the government has issued hundreds of new taxi and livery plates in an already saturated market, undercutting earnings. They also complain about illegal rideshare operators still picking up fares despite being banned. Butler has even accused Transport Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis and state agencies of failing to enforce the rules and enabling the chaos.

Fights between drivers have already erupted at LPIA’s departure area, particularly in the evenings when Road Traffic officers leave and enforcement wanes.

With grievances stretching from the airport to the docks and hotels, the sector is at an impasse. Livery drivers insist tourists should have choices, while taxi drivers warn their livelihoods are under siege.