By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

THE  Bahamas Taxi Cab Union (BTCU) temporarily blocked vehicle access to Lynden Pindling International Airport’s (LPIA) international departures terminal at the peak of Independence Day travel amid an escalating, ongoing dispute over competition from livery operators.

Taxi drivers allege this is undermining both their livelihoods and The Bahamas’ transportation regulations, with the demonstration reflecting months of tension between themselves and livery operators over access to travellers arriving at LPIA. Taxi drivers are accusing their livery rivals of improperly soliciting fares on the spot rather than relying solely on pre-arranged bookings that, which they allegs violates existing regulations.

“This is a combination of a lot of frustration on the part of the taxi drivers caused by the aggressive nature of the livery drivers,” BTCU president, Tyrone Butler, said. “How is it that the Government can have one set of transportation drivers operating contrary to the law and you want to hold taxi drivers accountable? That’s not going to happen.”

Mr Butler alleged that some baggage porters and Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) employees are directing arriving passengers to livery operators.

“Livery is supposed to do pre-arranged business,” Mr Butler said. “You work from your place of business. They have the porters in the baggage claim who are bringing out jobs for them and giving it to them. You have NAD employees who are upselling transportation service for livery drivers.”

But Troy Austin, the Bahamas Livery Drivers Union (BLDU) president, vehemently rejected allegations that its members routinely operate outside the law. He said the union does not condone members soliciting taxi fares and has reported drivers who violate its own standards to the Road Traffic Department.

“I would not call us hackers,” Mr Austin said. “We’re professional chauffeurs. One or two individuals does not reflect on the entire body.”

He maintained that the vast majority of livery drivers operate legally, and argued there is sufficient demand for both themselves and taxi services. Mr Austin said the union wants to work with taxi operators and government officials to establish clearer operating standards, and develop solutions that allow both industries to co-exist while maintaining quality service for visitors.

Mr Butler stopped short of announcing further industrial action, saying Leon Lundy, newly-appointed minister of transport, had earned enough confidence to be given an opportunity to address the concerns.

“The thing is, this is a new minister,” Mr Butler said. “I’m feeling a bit more confident that Mr Lundy is sincere about his efforts. He’s already addressed one or two matters that we brought to his attention.”

Mr Butler said the union’s executive planned to meet with Mr Lundy over the weekend to present a comprehensive list of issues requiring immediate attention, but warned that taxi drivers could return to the airport if meaningful progress is not made.

“We’re going to give the minister the benefit of the doubt to address these issues. Now, if it doesn’t happen, I guess we’ll be back here again next week,” he added.

Taxi operators said Thursday’s demonstration was the culmination of years of unsuccessful discussions over the issue. One driver noted that meetings with airport officials on the matter date back to November 2017.

“NAD at that time promised to fix this issue,” he said. “This is 2026. Everybody seems to be passing the buck. We need some resolve to the situation.”

Stephano Wilkinson, the BTCU’s vice-president, said taxi drivers continue to compete directly with livery operators despite operating under different regulatory requirements.

“The 25 years I’ve been driving, 18 years out of that every day we deal with these livery drivers,” he said. “You could set a price for us. You don’t have no price for them. So why would you have them on the same lane as us, frustrating us every day?”

Mr Wilkinson acknowledged that some taxi drivers also violate industry rules, but said the union supports disciplinary action against any members found breaching regulations.

Responding to the protest, Mr Lundy said the Ministry of Transport has already begun implementing changes aimed at reducing conflict between the two transportation sectors.

Among the proposed reforms is the creation of a dedicated transportation desk inside the airport, staffed by NAD personnel, where arriving visitors would receive information on ground transportation services. Under the proposal, livery operators would not have representatives inside the terminal.

“I already picked out the spot in there where we’re going to put this transportation desk,” Mr Lundy said while speaking with Mr Butler during the demonstration. “The liveries, because of that new proposal, wouldn’t even be on the inside.”

Mr Lundy said discussions with both the taxi and livery unions are continuing, and voiced confidence that the dispute can be resolved through dialogue. “It’s just a lot of misunderstanding,” Mr Lundy said. “I had an open-door policy with both unions, and I’m speaking with them, and we’re resolving the problems.”

He confirmed that the ministry is reviewing proposals submitted by the Bahamas Livery Drivers Union (BLDU), and stressed the importance of avoiding disruptions that could affect the country’s tourism product. “We definitely want to make sure that operations go smoothly, and it doesn’t affect anything, or the tourists leaving or our brand on the whole,” he said.

In a statement, NAD said several taxi operators attempted to block the vehicle entrance to the US Departures Terminal and confirmed it worked with the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Road Traffic Department to remove obstructing vehicles.

The airport operator said operations within the terminal continued as normal throughout the incident, with staff deployed to assist passengers and minimise disruption.