Taxi Association Isolating Non-Members, Penn Says
Eighth District Representative Marlon Penn has accused airport and government officials of unfairly forcing licensed taxi operators who refuse to join a taxi association to use the parking lot instead of the terminal frontage at Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport. Penn says the practice contradicts the Taxi Ordinance, which sets a $35 annual security fee, and is charging drivers up to $180 per month for front-of-terminal access.
Eighth District Representative Marlon Penn has publicly criticised the management of taxi access at Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport, saying licensed operators who choose not to join a taxi association are effectively being excluded from the terminal frontage. Speaking in the House of Assembly, Penn told colleagues he raised the matter with the BVI Airports Authority and questioned what he called an unlawful and unfair arrangement.
He said licensed taxi drivers who opt out of the association are being required to drop off and pick up passengers in the airport parking lot rather than at the terminal, creating practical and reputational problems for operators and visitors alike. Penn noted that the Taxi Ordinance prescribes an annual security fee of $35 for operators, but said drivers are instead being asked to pay as much as $180 per month for a pass that permits front-of-terminal access. "That’s $180 a month they’re being forced to pay," he said, challenging the legality of the practice.
He also questioned whether larger livery operators — those transporting significant numbers of visitors for companies such as The Moorings and Sunsail — were treated differently. Penn said he was told by the airport director that livery companies were not subject to the same restriction, but a personal visit to the airport contradicted that claim.
He reported seeing a livery operator for The Moorings and Sunsail using the parking lot and said he recorded video evidence. Penn told the minister with portfolio responsibility for works that the situation is unacceptable and must be corrected immediately. He emphasised that any person licensed to operate a taxi in the Territory has a legal right to obtain a pass and access the airport under the ordinance, and objected to being effectively forced to join an association to use a government-owned facility.
The representative warned the policy harms long-standing operators — some with decades of service — and damages the visitor experience when passengers must haul luggage across a parking lot. He also highlighted the burden on families and businesses that operate multiple buses, saying requirements that could total more than $2,000 a month for some operators would be cost prohibitive.
Penn said he will continue to press the matter until it is resolved. The claim raises questions about enforcement of the Taxi Ordinance and oversight of airport access fees; residents and operators are likely to expect clarity from the BVI Airports Authority and the Works Ministry on the rules, any concessions granted to third parties, and steps to ensure equitable treatment of licensed taxi drivers.
Primary source: BVI News