IT could be easier to prosecute drivers offering paid lifts through social media under legal changes proposed by a Reform Jersey politician – that could bring an end to the Jersey Lifts trade.
Deputy Catherine Curtis is calling for the Infrastructure Minister to update the Motor Traffic (Jersey) Law 1935 to make prosecuting illegal taxi services easier by 31 March 2027.
She pointed to unregulated ‘Jersey Lifts’ groups on Facebook – some of which have almost 30,000 members – where Islanders without taxi licences, background checks or insurance offer transport for payment.
The groups have been controversial since the first one was created in 2012 due to fears over passenger safety.
“Clearly, it’s not just a group of friends giving each other lifts and sharing the costs,” explained Deputy Curtis.
“There are regular drivers advertising their availability, occasionally stating their charges, which are most often arranged through Facebook messenger or in the car.”
Deputy Curtis said that while it is “not possible to get full data on an illegal operation”, the scale and frequency of adverts suggest that “there are people earning their living by operating as illegal taxis, and not paying any tax or social security on their earnings”.
However, her “main concern” is that there could be an assault or an accident which is not covered by insurance.
“Often members of the public using this service may be young, and especially vulnerable following a night out,” said Deputy Curtis.
“In fact, this may have already happened, with people feeling unable to come forward.”
The politician said she had met members of the Jersey Taxi Drivers Association, who have previously warned that Islanders offering unlicensed transport for cash are becoming increasingly “brazen”.
In December 2024, association secretary Mick Tostevin told the JEP he feared it would take a serious accident or crime before the authorities cracked down.
Deputy Curtis explained that legitimate taxi companies face stringent regulations including annual vehicle tests, enhanced DBS checks every year, medical and customer-care tests, disability awareness training and high insurance costs – some as much as £1,500 annually.
“The Jersey taxi industry accepts all these requirements because they ensure public safety,” she added.
“However, a young person who is interested in driving for a living may understandably be attracted to the idea of operating an unregulated taxi service through a platform such as Jersey Lifts, because although illegal, it is not prosecuted.
“That young driver will be putting themselves at risk, and as it is the fundamental responsibility of any government is to protect citizens from harm, it is by extension the responsibility of this States Assembly to put this matter right.”
But the Home Affairs Minister has previously warned that prosecutions against drivers offering paid lifts through social media remain “very difficult” to secure.
Deputy Mary Le Hegarat told the States Assembly last year that the States police “routinely stop, engage with, and where offences are identified, investigate individuals operating outside regulation,” but recent prosecutions “have not resulted in successful convictions”.
Asked why, she said it is hard to prove a commercial service rather than friends sharing fuel costs.
“It’s very difficult to be able to establish that the people are known to each other and they’re not just having a lift home and just giving some money for petrol,” explained Deputy Le Hegarat.
In June 2024, a man who used the Jersey Lifts Facebook group to pick up passengers was cleared of operating an illegal taxi service.
Lughano Mogha (39) was fined £1,200 in the Magistrate’s Court for overloading his car and driving using a provisional licence without supervision.
The 39-year-old argued that Jersey Lifts was a community where people paid whatever amount they felt they owed the driver.
Advocate Greg Herold-Howes, defending, pointed out that legitimate ride-sharing, where passengers contribute to the cost of a trip, was legal.
Magistrate Bridget Shaw, who was presiding, found Mogha not guilty of the two charges of operating an illegal taxi following a one-day trial.
Concerns were also raised over the safety of ‘Jersey Lifts’ in 2018 after a young girl exposed instances of potentially “predatory” behaviour occurring on the page.
The girl, who was 18 years old at the time, shared how one Facebook group user had messaged her inappropriately for months after having given her a lift.
In 2014, the States police wrote letters to around 20 people they suspected of illegally offering lifts for payment on social media, warning them that they will use “covert methods” to catch them in the act if necessary.
One Jersey Lifts driver, speaking anonymously, previously estimated that the illegal lifts trade could be worth as much as £1 million a year.
