Transport Authority defends operations in St. Thomas despite complaints

By Kimone Witter 

   

Managing Director of the Transport Authority, Ralston Smith, says the authority and the police have been acting within the law in the seizure of vehicles being used in connection with a business or trade without a commercial carriers licence.

 

Mr. Smith was responding to complaints from some motorists in St. Thomas who had their vehicles confiscated during a three-day operation last week.

 

He said section 98 of the Road Traffic Act states that any vehicle that is used in connection with a business or trade must have a carriers licence.

 

"I can understand why some persons of St. Thomas may have had the concern because it's an area where, owing to the road network, etc. that was under reconstruction, road operations of those types were somewhat absent from that particular space," he reasoned. 

 

The Transport Authority, he said, will continue its operations in St. Thomas to enforce the provisions of the law. 

 

"We have done some work in the parish of St. Thomas over the past few months, and we would have had dialogue conversation with the taxi associations, the operators. We did our own intelligence-driven operations, we looked at the areas where persons were provided legal services, and we distributed flyers, we met with them and we asked them to regularise their services. Indeed, a number of them did. I think, over thirty-odd persons did join the band," he noted. 

 

Mr. Smith encouraged motorists to apply for the relevant road licences to avoid prosecution.