The Jersey Taxi Drivers Association and representatives of the non-association public rank taxi drivers say they feel ‘obliged’ to take action after talks between them and Infrastructure Minister Eddie Noel broke down.
They say they then approached Chief Minister Ian Gorst, who instigated the talks, with their latest concerns but have had no acknowledgement of their request for guidance.
The drivers’ concerns include that a recent 4.6 per cent fare increase is not enough to cover rising costs, continued lack of action by the authorities over the illegal Jersey Lifts Facebook groups, and the proposed move to stop drivers charging for ‘extras’, such as luggage.
They also oppose the introduction of a one-tier taxi system, where all taxis and cabs would follow the same charging structure.
In a statement the drivers said: ‘It is our strong view that the current policies of the Minister for the DFI will not achieve the clarity or transparency that he is seeking to introduce in the fare structure and furthermore by continuing on his current course he has caused more confusion by allowing taxi-cabs with multi tariff meters onto the public taxi ranks (with up to nine different tariffs).’
