THE EDITOR, Sir:HAVE YOU ever wondered how taxi drivers obtain their licences? I am sure, you have all seen them, as I have, drive in the incoming traffic lane to jump the queue; or switch lanes back and forth full throttle as though they are Mexican jumping beans; or make a right turn from the farthest left lane because they couldn't think ahead and get in the right lane in the first place.
Yes, I am quite sure we have all wondered how these fine gentlemen managed to pass the strict tests, stricter than those for ordinary drivers, which allows them to get a licence to carry passengers.
Coincidentally, has anyone given thought to the number of fatal road accidents involving taxi drivers? Shouldn't this be a cause for concern?
It is not that I wish to condemn the individual who is building an urban transportation business, buying used cars and employing men who would be otherwise unemployable, but it seems to me that just like his drivers who are not following rules, neither is the businessman, nor is the public official who certifies the drivers as competent and deserving of a PPV licence. There is a chain of responsibility and accountability here that is broken.
Put someone who has no respect for life, law and order behind the wheel of a car and by whatever lapse of conscience, authorize him to be responsible for the life of others, and you have what we have today in Jamaica: Grim Reapers on wheels. With very few exceptions, the taximan has become the scourge of our transportation system.
I am, etc.
J'accuse!
