Following stabbing of colleague... Cabbies refuse male passengers

"Me nah take up no man and end up lose me livelihood, or even worse, me life," is how Kahlil Green* sums up his decision to only carry female passengers at nights.

Several taxi drivers on the downtown Kingston to Papine route are now refusing their services to the men because of a stabbing and robbery incident involving a fellow taxi driver last month.

In January, a cabbie and passengers were robbed and evicted from the car they were travelling in by a male that had boarded the taxi in downtown Kingston.

The taxi driver was also stabbed before the thief and his crony, who was reportedly waiting at the scene of the robbery, stole the motor vehicle.

According to the drivers, who spoke with THE STAR, the incident has resulted in a screening process for persons who travel in their motor vehicles after a certain time in the evening.

"Once it reach 7 or 8 in the night, me nuh pick up man downtown because no man nah go come thief the car weh a no even fi mi," Green said.

Green, who has been in the transportation industry for 15 years, says taxi drivers are being preyed on so he is now resolute in his decision, and will not restart transporting men in the near future.

While Green has fully phased out transporting male passengers, not all of his colleagues have done so.

"The man dem weh inna them work shirt can come in me car, but plait up hair and earring man dem is a no-no," said Hansle Drummond*, who has been a taxi driver for five years.

When THE STAR asked about the possible loss of earnings with this decision, the taxi drivers said they were thinking about staying alive more than their

livelihood.

"Right now, me will rather take the loss of $2,000 a day than end up lose me life a try play hero," said Drummond.

According to the taxi drivers, the robbery was not reported to the police and the driver, who was attacked, has been recovering from stab wounds.

Efforts to contact the president of Jamaica Association of Transport Owners and Operators (JATOO), Louis Barton, proved futile.

* Names changed