Transport Authority urges drivers to fall in line as it prepares to open routes

Unlicensed transport operators are being urged to use the extra time to get compliant with the law ahead of the liberalisation of the system that will take effect on June 3, as the Transport Authority is insisting that there will be a zero-tolerance approach thereafter.

In February, Transport Minister Robert Montague announced that the liberalised system – under which the Transport Authority will resume accepting new applications for all categories of road licences islandwide, except for hackney carriages in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region – would begin in May. This is projected to open up 1,251 routes across the island to include 989 route taxi and 262 rural stage-carriage routes.

Flood of applications

However, following a flood of applications, the decision was taken to push back the start date to June 3 in order to ensure that the processing of renewal applications is completed prior to the acceptance of new applications.

The Transport Authority yesterday used a press release to remind transport operators that all new road licence applications must be accompanied by the stipulated letter from an approved electronic fleet management system provider confirming installation of a tracking device in keeping with rules implemented this month.

Additionally, in June, the Transport Authority will roll out its recently designed regional licence approval process, geared at decentralising and automating the processing of applications. It is anticipated that this process will significantly reduce the turnaround time for new applications from 21 working days to 10.