Ex-con locked out of taxi business

A taxi operator who was prosecuted for failing to wear his uniform and to have a public passenger vehicle (PPV) badge has blamed the Transport Authority for his calamity.

Troy Saunders said that he paid the fees to the Authority in order to obtain his PPV badge, but to date he is yet to receive it.

"Me do the exam and thing and dem say dem caah give me because me have four convictions," Saunders said.

He was among hundreds who turned up at the St Catherine Parish Court in Spanish Town yesterday to answer to traffic-related charges.

Badges are issued by the Authority to drivers and conductors of public transportation vehicles as part of the precautionary measures to ensure the safety of commuters.

As a prerequisite to being issued a badge, all drivers and conductors are required to have their fingerprints and a police record completed. The police record highlights any criminal activity committed by the operator. Where it is found that a criminal offence has been committed by any operator, the police record is submitted to a subcommittee of the Transport Authority, which reviews the submission and determines whether or not a driver/conductor badge will be granted to that individual.

Meanwhile, Parish Judge Kahon Lamey, who heard the matter, fined Saunders $5,000 or five days' imprisonment for failing to wear his uniform, and $5,000 or five days' imprisonment for no PPV badge. He also advised him how to handle the issue with the Transport Authority.

"I can't help you with that. You need to talk with a lawyer," the judge said.