1 month ago
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Tensions continue to rise between the taxi operators and golf cart rentals over workspace at the two airport hangers on La Isla Bonita. For quite some time, golf cart rentals are allowed to solicit business from tourists at the two ports of entry, boxing out the long-standing taxi operators. Jorge Aldana has more.
Jorge Aldana, San Pedro Correspondent: For some time now, golf cart rentals have been allowed to solicit business from tourists arriving on the island at the different ports of entry. And now tensions are rising between long-established taxi operators and the newcomers; the golf cart rentals. Not only is it killing business for the taxi operators, but the fighting between golf cart rentals in front of tourists is now at the forefront of the concerns for the taxi operators. President of the San Pedro Airport Taxi Association, Jesus Wiltshire, explained that the situation is now at breaking point because authorities on the island are ignoring them.
Jesus Wilshire: “Lebanese that are here are soliciting the tourists, we know they’ve been getting aggressive with each other fighting over renting golf carts and when we got our taxi association that has people that they are coming to pick up they would go aggressively and solicit the tourists for a golf cart while we waiting to take them to our destination. We, the taxi driver, are losing the little business that we have that we uh tried to catch from the airport. We’ve been contacting the different authorities, like for instance the Town Council, Minister Andre Perez, and they always say that, yeah, we’re going to work on it. And up to today we have not gotten any solution.”
Jorge Aldana, San Pedro Correspondent: One of the taxi operators affected is Hilberto Alamilla, who has been a taxi driver for over 20 years. He explained, that fighting over business in front of tourists is leaving a bad impression on Belize.
Hilberto Alamilla: “What they do is they show them the same cards, ask them if they It becomes a chaos right in front of the tourists that are just arriving. And the tourists want to rent a golfcart and if they don’t want, they harass them, interviewing them feel unsafe at the moment they arrive for the island. So it’s a harassment that they give them.”
Jorge Aldana, San Pedro Correspondent:Orlando Salazar, who is a senior taxi driver, indicated that he has brought up the issue with both the police and the Ministry of Transport. But all attempts are futile thus far.
Orlando Salazar: “So I went to the police and said, man, we have a problem here. The police told me, Papa, we know that’s a big problem. And we have arrested him. But as soon as I know that we have arrested him and bring him here. But as soon as we take him to the police station, there comes a call from the authority, the mayor, and say, let them go. So we cannot do anything about that. I said, well, what do you want us to do? You want us to make a riot or something like that? We talk to the minister of transportation, myself, with our with our federation and he promised us the minister promised that he will fix it and the CEO which is Chester Williams said that they know about it and it has been three or four months right now that they don’t even call us for a meeting so that’s why Tropic Air now is putting a corral over there so we are being sandwiched by the government right so we need that I mean we need our space man taxi is a taxi we need more rentals to come here. We have invested money to buy good taxis and we are out of business.”
Jorge Aldana, San Pedro Correspondent: One of the conditions of the trade license strictly outlines that golf cart rentals must operate from the address of their business establishment indicated on their trade license application. Reporting for Love News, I’m Jorge Aldana.
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