Commuters across Trinidad and Tobago are bracing for widespread travel disruptions next week, after the national maxi-taxi industry association announced that most operators will suspend all services from June 1 to June 3 to push for long-delayed policy and regulatory changes.
In an official statement released Thursday, the Association of Maxi-Taxi Trinidad and Tobago (AMTTT) framed the three-day work stoppage as a “rest and reflect” period, designed to draw national attention to a litany of unresolved grievances that have plagued the shared transport sector for generations, even after repeated promises of action from consecutive national governments.
At the top of the association’s list of demands is an urgent crackdown on the fast-growing proliferation of illegal white buses that operate on routes officially designated for maxi-taxis, which display solid colored route bands. Industry leaders say the crisis has been made worse by confusing and inconsistent vehicle registration processes for “P” and “T” class vehicles, along with poorly structured transportation capacity limits that have created loopholes for unlicensed operators.
The AMTTT noted that one widely supported solution — the implementation of chequered-band route classification — has already been proposed to address the illegal operation problem, but the policy has sat in bureaucratic limbo for more than five years, with no movement on review, revision, or final approval.
Beyond the illegal operator issue, the association is pushing for a raft of other long-outstanding reforms. A key ask is raising the legal speed limit for maxi-taxis from 65 kilometers per hour to 80 kilometers per hour, a request first submitted to authorities back in 2021 that has not received any formal response.
The group also highlighted the total absence of clear, formal policies governing transfers of Priority Bus Route (PBR) passes, covering scenarios ranging from amnesty program cases and next-of-kin transfers to health-related reassignments and open market transfers. According to the AMTTT, this gap in regulation has remained unaddressed for more than 20 years.
Decades of neglect also extend to the country’s transportation infrastructure: the association says the need for new, upgraded, and properly managed transport hubs across the nation has been recognized for more than 30 years, with no tangible progress on development or revitalization.
The statement also drew attention to challenges facing school transportation providers, calling for immediate payment of long-overdue concessionaire grants and the establishment of clearly defined drop-off and pick-up zones, particularly in the capital city of Port of Spain. Additional demands include equal access to major thoroughfares and overpasses, a privilege currently only extended to buses operated by the state-owned Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC).
Other unresolved issues raised by the association include clearer rules for National Insurance System (NIS) contributions for self-employed maxi-taxi operators, updated legal guidelines for in-vehicle radio permits, improved safety measures for commuters and operators working night routes, and revisions to overly burdensome application requirements for intra-city route passes. The AMTTT argues that many current eligibility requirements are irrelevant to the actual work of intra-city maxi-taxi services.
While the association acknowledged that the current national administration has publicly recognized most of these sector-wide challenges and made formal pledges to deliver solutions, it says operators have yet to see any meaningful, tangible progress on the ground.
“While the current government has acknowledged these challenges and pledged solutions, tangible progress has yet to be realised,” the statement read. The three-day “rest and reflect” shutdown is intended to highlight the urgency of the sector’s struggles and reaffirm the association’s commitment to advocating for a sustainable, viable future for maxi-taxis and better welfare for all operators.
In closing, the AMTTT issued a public appeal for understanding and support from the travelling public during the industrial action. “We seek the understanding and support of the general public during this time, as we collectively call for accountability and concrete steps toward resolving these enduring problems,” the statement said.
As of Thursday, efforts by reporters to reach Transport Minister Eli Zakour and Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath for comment on the planned shutdown and the association’s demands were unsuccessful.