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Taxi association to address illegal cabs, tour companies
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Posted on Aug 26 2008
Taxi drivers on Saipan are rallying to take on local cab companies operating without required licenses and insurance, a problem that has hurt law-abiding taxi operators on the island, according to the Saipan Taxi Association.
“Some people with private cars are working as a taxi service without a business license, without insurance and without meeting other requirements,” said Rabby Syed, the association’s president in an interview Tuesday. “They’re killing our business.”
Illegal cab companies are key among a host of issues the association plans to address in a meeting Sunday at American Memorial Park. Syed said the organization plans to poll its members on how to deal with the problem.
The impact on taxi drivers of tour companies that provide transportation to visitors as part of package vacation deals, he added, will also be on the agenda.
The meeting comes as the taxi association is in the early stages of forming a union, Syed said.
Meanwhile, the association also hopes to take up the issue of the local taxi bureau’s rules for cab companies when they pay insurance. Currently, cab companies are required by the taxi bureau to show payment of their insurance fees on one receipt yet many want to pay for insurance in installments, Syed said.
The meeting will take place at 8pm.
