Mad rush to avoid fines, coconut vendor gets $19k ticket

Coconut vendor Ravi Baboolal with his ticket showing $19,000 in traffic violations, at his stall on High Street, San Fernando, on January 6. - Photo by Angelo Marcelle

The threat of an increased $2,000 fine for driving a vehicle without a valid inspection sticker or certificate has pushed swarms of motorists to inspection stations across the country. The fine was increased from $1,000 and went into effect on January 1.

Damian Chow, of Chow's Service Bay along the Eastern Main Road, Sangre Grande, said the rush began shortly after the increased fines were published on Christmas Day. Since then, he said, inspection stations like his have been inundated with vehicles, especially as they are now allowed to certify public service vehicles like maxis and taxis.

"That's across the board from my understanding. I've spoken to many garages throughout the island. From south, from the Port of Spain area, the East-West corridor and there have been long lines."

He said some garages have decided to work by appointment to avoid the long lines, while some also opted to work seven days a week. He said in the last week, some garages have done more inspections than they typically do in a month.

At his station, he said he had one customer visit from Champ Fleurs as they were unable to get an inspection done in their area.

Manager and inspector at Suncoast Enterprises Ltd in Bathcyia Village, Penal, Zobida Gilbert said their station also experienced a rush after news broke about the increased fines. She said they now do about 30 to 35 vehicles per day.

One of the hiccups for motorists, she said, is the new digital system. While making the process much more convenient, Gilbert said it began revealing typographical errors on the system documents and requires vehicle owners to go to the Licensing Office in Caroni to rectify them before a certificate can be issued.

"Some customers had to be turned back to get chassis amendments, engine amendments."

Additionally, she said the rush has led to garages having to make frequent trips to the Caroni office for stickers, often getting stuck in lines with people who are also rushing to the office to rectify irregularities or renew permits.

A man, Sole, ensures the headlights of vehicles are cleaned, as owners await their turn for inspection at the Ministry of Works and Transport, Licensing Division, San Fernando, on January 6. - Photo by Angelo Marcelle

"Having a separate line for the VTS (vehicle testing stations) at licensing to cash would make it so much easier so that we can return back to our stations faster than having to wait long at Licensing. Other than that, the sticker issuing is not a problem so we've been happy with that."

In light of the rush, Chow called for people to stay abreast of their vehicle inspections and not wait for the threat of a penalty.

"We as a people only tend to get motivated when there's a stern fine or something that costs us later down, but it would be much easier to get inspected when they have to get inspected."

Apart from providing steady business for stations, he said, keeping up with inspections is also a matter of public safety.

Chaos at licensing offices

On January 4, a San Fernando coconut vendor was slapped with $19,000 in traffic fines for the condition of his pickup, including not having a valid inspection certificate or sticker.

He is seeking legal advice on how to deal with the matter, as he contends some of the six tickets were wrongly issued. If unsuccessful, he said he would need to sell the vehicle he purchased for $17,000 to pay the hefty fines by the February 3 due date.

Ravi Baboolal, 39, of Friendship Village, was stopped by police around 8 pm at the corner of Mucurapo and Keate Street while he was on his way home in his white Mitsubishi pickup from a day of work at Library Corner. He was issued fines for carrying an unsecured load ($1,500), defective tires ($2,000), permitting excess smoke or sparks to come from the vehicle ($2,000), driving without a valid insurance ($10,000), failure to comply with lawful instructions ($1,500), and failure to produce a valid inspection certificate or sticker ($2,000).

Baboolal admitted that one of his tyres was balding, his inspection was overdue and that he failed to comply with the officer's instruction. He, however, rejected the other fines, especially the grand charge for driving without valid insurance.

"My vehicle is insured. It is insured with Sagicor. My insurance expires on the 29th of January, 2026."

Baboolal was unable to produce the certificate for Newsday as he had left the pickup home. He said the insurance certificate is always in the vehicle, and he had it at the time of the traffic stop.

Additionally, he said the load he was carrying was discarded coconut husks which were in crocus bags, packed down in his tray.

"Now the other tickets like the tyre and the inspection, I wouldn't mind paying those, but this is way out of context...I cannot afford to pay $19,000. I do not make $19,000 here and then I have to purchase coconuts, I have to purchase bottles. I have to pay rent. I pay rent for this place at City Hall."

The vendor said this was not his first time being issued traffic fines, as he received three tickets a few months ago, also from the same officer.

"This officer...had already given us tickets for tyre and inspection on November 13, right here where we are standing. When I brought my vehicle to put coconut, she gave my driver three tickets: which is inspection, tyre and no right turn we make. I paid those tickets on December 30 for my driver."

Asked why he did not address the issues after receiving the tickets in November, Baboolal said: "I have a lot of tickets on my van...they wouldn't be lenient. The amount of money I paid in inspection tickets for the years passed by, I could have bought a new van. The TTPS doesn't even give me chance to make back the money to fix my van. As they give me $1,000 for inspection, next week they go give me a next one. The next week they go give me and I can't just study that because I have to work."

The fee to inspect a vehicle is $300, but the total cost to a motorist would grow if they are required to first make repairs to the vehicle to bring it up to standard.

Baboolal said his pickup is critical to his livelihood and he cannot ply his trade without it. He intends to meet with his lawyer on January 7 to determine the feasibility of contesting the tickets he disagreed with.

Onlookers to Newsday's interview, who did not wish to give their names, said the one-month stipulated time to pay the fines should be extended to around six months for large sums such as Baboolal's.

Published on December 25, Legal Notice No 471 of 2025, amended the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act and saw fines doubled for the new year. At the time, there were no official announcements from the government. The news was broken by opposition politicians on social media.

Becoming enforceable on January 1, it left motorists with three working days to resolve any issues with their vehicles to avoid incurring the new fines.

According to newspaper reports, the Prime Minister said the fines could be decreased even lower than their previous amounts by June if errant behaviour on the roads was reduced.

ODA: Delay new fines, fees

Meanwhile, the Owner Dealers Association (ODA) of TT is appealing to the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation to delay the implementation of new fees and penalties by one to three months.

A release from ODA's president, Reval Chattergoon, on January 6 said the newly imposed fees and penalties have led to an influx of panicked citizens flooding licensing offices and bombarding the online appointment system. This, he said, has negatively affected the productivity of law-abiding citizens due to resulting traffic congestion and multiple tolls "set up to earn revenue."

A licensing officer is checks the documents of a driver for his car's inspection at the Ministry of Works & Transport: Transport Division on Wrightson Rd, Port of Spain on January 6. - Photo by Faith Ayoung

"Additionally, some service station customers have lamented that these inconveniences are pushing them to reconsider using/owning a vehicle, to rely on public transport, or even to stay at home. Is this the push needed to encourage the revitalisation of any mass transit system and or decrease our reliance of fuel?" Chattergoon asked.

"Where will this leave the retail fuel industry if customers are afraid to leave their homes because of fear, not of crime and criminality, but the fear of being issued a penalty notice?"

The ODA president said the organisation acknowledges the need for continuous changes in fee structures and penalties to induce positive behavioural changes in some lawless citizens, but the immediate implementation of the fines and penalties without prior notice or even a hint of impending changes has caused "increased mental stress and financial strain on some citizens who were already trying to recover from December’s notice of increased fines/penalties relating to vehicle roadworthiness."

While the government has explained the move as primarily focused on curbing lawlessness on the roads, Chattergoon suggested it look to more humane means to generate revenue, which entices people to part with their hard-earned money willingly instead of through a penalty or tax.

Among his suggestions was allowing vanity license plates, with citizens paying $10,000 to reserve numbers between one and 99. He estimated this could earn up to $1 million per series. Similarly, he said numbers between 99 and 999 could be reserved for $8,000, which could earn about $7.2 million per series.

Chattergoon also suggested that ATVs, UTVs, side-by-sides, mopeds and electric bikes can also be registered to generate further revenue.