By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THREE taxi drivers were arrested during scuffles with police as dozens of drivers paralysed access to the Nassau Cruise Port yesterday morning, blocking the entrance with their vehicles and refusing to move until long-standing grievances over what they call unfair treatment and worsening conditions were addressed.

The protest, staged by members of the Bahamas Taxi Cab Union (BTCU), disrupted traffic into the port, escalating into a tense confrontation with police officers and tow truck operators who had been called to the scene.

The demonstration, which began early morning, was described by drivers as the culmination of months and for many, years of neglect, unfair treatment, and worsening working conditions. Taxi operators say they are being pushed out of the market by private tour and livery drivers, denied access to designated taxi areas, and forced to work without basic amenities such as restrooms or proper parking facilities.

They claim taxi drivers receive less than 40 percent of the ground transportation business from cruise passengers, while tour operators and private livery companies take the majority share.

One of the drivers, who identified himself as Jave Archer and said he has been a taxi driver for ten years, said: “We’re fed up with Nassau Cruise Port. We are fed up with Mr Fountain. We are fed up with Mike Maura. We are fed up with Chester Cooper. We are fed up with all the bigger heads in charge because its no way in the world taxis are supposed to take 60 percent of ground transportation but we are taking less than 40 percent."

Another driver, visibly upset, accused the port’s security of unfair treatment and said many of them have had their license numbers taken down by guards simply for standing in certain areas.

“They allowing the security inside the port to penalise the drivers, take the drivers’ numbers off the list,” he said. “We’re tired of it. Every day we come here to work, and they treat us like criminals.”

The protest quickly drew the attention of law enforcement, as police tried to clear the entrance and restore order.

Tow trucks were brought in, and several drivers and officers were involved in scuffles. Within the hour, three taxi drivers were arrested after refusing police instructions to clear the road.

Despite the arrests, many drivers remained adamant, saying they were prepared to go to jail to make their point.

“We’re spending money every day to make a living, and then we can’t even get a fair chance to work,” one man shouted. “If we have to get locked up, we ready to get charged!”

Union president Tyrone Butler stood among the crowd, calling for calm while defending the drivers’ actions as an expression of desperation. He said the conditions under which many of them are forced to work are unacceptable and have been ignored for far too long.

“These are men and women who have given exemplary service to the tourism industry, and they feel oppressed by the conditions that they have to work in,” Mr Butler said. “One of the things that’s happening here now is enough is enough for the taxi drivers. These men and women come out of their bed early in the evening, early in the morning, just to get a job. There are too many people having different feuds about how this port should run.”

Mr Butler noted that when the Nassau Cruise Port was first developed, promises were made that taxi drivers would benefit from improved facilities and more opportunities. However, he said those assurances have not been realised.

“The port has given some assurance in its initial stage that things would be better for taxi drivers, but unfortunately they are not realising it,” he said. “The taxi drivers are fed up because they don’t have basic access to the restrooms, and at certain times, they are locked out of the parking lot. So what you are seeing here now is the frustration of all the things that have been building.”

The union president said the BTCU has held numerous meetings with Nassau Cruise Port executives to resolve the ongoing disputes, but those talks have yielded little progress.

“We have had ongoing meetings with the port to try to mediate some of these issues, and we have not been successful in that regard,” Mr Butler said. “But we will continue. I believe that some of these issues can be worked out because the port is a very integral part of our tourism product and we don’t want to hurt this product — we want to help it. But we believe the taxi drivers deserve better treatment than they are getting right now.”

Mr Butler’s comments echoed the sentiments of other union members, who said they are tired of feeling disrespected and overlooked. One long-time driver said many of them depend solely on the cruise port to make a living, yet they are being squeezed out by tour companies and private operators.

“We coming in this number one transportation industry and they taking the jobs from us,” he said. “We want this to change. We want to work but they’re making it impossible.”

The protest also underscored wider frustrations across the taxi industry, which has been embroiled in several disputes with the government and the Nassau Cruise Port in recent months. Taxi drivers have accused the authorities of failing to enforce transport laws, allowing unlicensed or private operators to take work from them, and ignoring long-standing calls for better facilities.

In previous reports by The Tribune, Mr Butler warned that the union’s patience was wearing thin, citing “oppression” and “disrespect” from both the port and government agencies. He also criticised the over-issuance of taxi and livery plates, which he said has saturated the market, making it harder for existing drivers to earn a living.

Government and cruise port officials did not respond to requests for comment up to press time.