For several tense moments on Tuesday evening it appeared Prince George Wharf would be closed by angry taxi cab drivers protesting a fleet of tour buses attempting to transport more than 300 cruise-ship passengers.
The disturbance started sometime after 7pm when 21 Bahamas Experience vehicles sub-contracted by Destination Management Company arrived at the location to transport passengers but were blocked by taxi cab drivers. The cab drivers argued that the tour operators were in violation of the protocol governing transport of large groups.
Police had to intervene to bring order to the situation. The chaos however was quelled and peace restored when the parties concerned decided to allow the tour buses to transport the tourists.
Taxi cab drivers told The Guardian that Glennys Hanna-Martin, Minister of Transport and Aviation and Obie Wilchcombe, Minister of Tourism, apparently summoned from the House of Assembly a few yards away, verbally agreed to pay between $50-$75 per head to the taxi cab drivers to compensate for their loss. The Guardian was unable to verify this information up to press time.
Brensil Rolle, Comptroller of Road Traffic, present on Tuesday evening said the tour company did not request the proper authorization and as a result the conflict started because the proper protocols were not followed.
He said: “If there is a prearranged movement, the Department will be notified 24 hours in advance and the appropriate approval would be issued to that organisation and the Union who represents the taxi cab drivers would be advised. In this case, we were not advised and of course, no one else could have been advised.”
Michael Saunders, Operations Manager at Bahamas Experience Tours, said the matter was quickly resolved because “we did not want tourist to suffer as a result of the miscommunication”.
Alex Daniels, Taxi cab driver and Union member, said the conflict could have been avoided if the protocols were followed.
He said for too long taxi cab drivers have been disrespected and called on the government to review the entire transport system.
The passengers disembarked from The Majesty and Sovereign of the Seas cruise ships.
By Lakeisha Mcsweeney, The Nassau Guardian
