By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Taxi Cab Union has severed ties with the Bahamas National Alliance Trade Union Congress (BNATUC) and returned to the Trade Union Congress (TUC), accusing its former affiliate of a conflict of interest and slamming the government for failing to protect the taxi industry from unregulated competition.

Union president Tyrone Butler said the BNATUC’s connection to the Livery Drivers Association, an industry rival, was unacceptable at a time when taxi drivers are already battling livery franchises, unregulated rideshare operators, and a flood of new plates.

“That was a position that we found very uncomfortable, to have two organisations competing against each other in the workspace, but represented by the same president in one congress, that just wasn’t something that we felt was in our best interest, so it was a conflict of interest,” Mr Butler said.

“We are fighting livery drivers every day, and then we have to sit with them in a congress meeting headed by Belinda Wilson. That was something that we expressed our disappointment, and we thought that that could not work.”

Mr Butler said returning to the TUC, where the taxi union was originally a founding member, is a strategic move to gain stronger backing amid escalating threats to the industry.

“We believe the Trade Union Congress gives us the best opportunity to achieve some of our goals,” he said. “We are under siege right now with so many challenges in the ground transportation industry.”

He warned that government inaction is deepening the crisis, accusing officials of allowing livery drivers to solicit customers in restricted spaces such as hotels and airports.

“The law does not provide for a livery franchise to be in the same space as a taxi driver. It is insulting to a customer for a customer to walk out of the hotel or the airport, and somebody asked them if they would like a particular type of vehicle,” Mr Butler said.

“It is wrong. It is insulting, and any government that encourages that really has no vision for what is good customer service.”

Mr Butler said recent government decisions have worsened the issue, with over 800 new taxi plates and 300-400 livery plates issued without expanding the market. He said this dilutes driver income, especially since only Baha Mar has significantly increased tourism capacity.

The union leader also blasted the rise of illegal rideshare operators, or “hackers”, calling them a public safety threat and a liability risk. The government later issued a notice confirming the illegality of such services using private vehicles.

TUC president Obie Ferguson welcomed the union back with a promise of solidarity and action.

“Whenever you all decide to make a move in your interest, we, in the TUC, will be with you. You’re not going to go a day alone,” Mr Ferguson said.

“We’re going to do something that is going to be dramatic, and it’s going to be effective.”

The Bahamas Taxi Cab Union, which has over 1,500 active drivers and nearly 400 registered members, is pushing for legal enforcement, regulatory clarity, and a halt to the unchecked expansion of livery and taxi plates.