Federated Taxi Drivers May Strike Over Actions by Tourism Co. By MARIA MIRANDA SIERRA The San Juan Daily Star By MARIA MIRANDA SIERRA The Puerto Rico Taxi Drivers Federation approved a strike vote late last week that could result in a number of demonstrations in which they will suspend their services or go on strike to repudiate “the actions the Puerto Rico Tourism Co. (PRTC) has taken that hurt the working class taxi driver.” A strike by federation drivers could be detrimental to the island’s tourism industry because fewer taxi cabs would be available. Visitors arriving on the island through the airport typically take taxis to their hotels, cruise ships and other destinations. The organization, headed by Juan de León, distributed a copy of a resolution in which, among other things, they accuse the PRTC of concentrating on “supervising and harassing the tourism taxi drivers who follow the law, while leaving those who do not comply with the law free to do what they want.” De León alleged that the government ignores those who violate the law and “steal the taxi drivers passengers,” and while the government has the tools to intervene, “they still don’t use them.” He also chastised a PRTC move to prohibit the so-called “wrap ads” on the taxi cabs that would help drivers generate additional income. The Star tried to obtain a reaction from the PRTC, but as of press time the agency had not off ered any offi cial word on how it would deal with a strike by taxi drivers. The Taxi Drivers Federation chief added that the PRTC has “forgotten” to revise the rates that, according to the federation, “do justice to the working class taxi driver,” alleging that it would hike the price of services” and thus hamper tourism on the island. “But they can’t explain away the fact that at the airport Aerostar charges tourists for using taxi services,” De León charged. The federation also criticized the establishment of the “Tu Pon” or “Your Ride” program, which it alleged is an attempt to supplant taxis with vans.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 08:59:11 +0000
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