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by pltm
(PLTM) - Taxi drivers of the BVI Taxi Association are bemoaning the post-Irma conditions in which they have to work, stating that the lack of tourists and electricity have cut business by at least 50 percent.
The Christmas season is usually a good period for local taxi operators, who would benefit from the influx of tourists requiring tour services to see the island.
However, with the passage of Hurricane Irma, many tourists are delaying their visit to the Territory and this has caused a roadblock for the taxi drivers.
"All the business we used to get from the cruise ships and other tourists before the storm has been cut by about a half," said president of the BVI Taxi Association, Allan Callwood.
He said some members had damaged vehicles after the hurricane, but added that most are back on the job and and struggling to make a profit.
"My safari truck got mash up, my bus lost a couple of glasses and I got a couple of jeeps that also lost glass and thing. But thank God I am still alive," said another taxi operator, Ned Phillips.
Since the tourists are no longer the main focus, the taxi operators say they are now depending on walk-in customers who need to be transported across Tortola.
"It still ain't a lot because many people were also affected by the storm so they don't have the money to spend. We also get some business from folks who come from Virgin Gorda to shop around here and buy stuff to take back home," said MacArthur Mersa, who has been operating a taxi for the past ten years.
He told BVI Platinum News that the post-Irma period is the worst season he has ever experienced as a transport operator.
The taxi operators also shared that coupled with the lack of tourists, their profits were further cut by the lack of electricity at their office. They said a significant portion of their business came from customers who made telephone calls and requested transportation. But the lack of electricity has cut off this source of revenue source completely.
"We used to depend on people calling in. But at present business has dropped. We need the electricity and telephones hooked up because you have people who are out of a job," said another operator, Carl Corea.
President of the Taxi Association, Allan Callwood also said they are having difficulty repairing their Road Town office because of lack of funds. He said the members were required to pay fees for the office's upkeep, but these fees have not been constant since the hurricanes in September.
"Right now I am doing most of the repairs out of my pocket," Callwood told BVI Platinum News.
The taxi drivers say they don't know for sure when business will get better, but that they think it will gradually improve as the months go by.
"Right now we depend on the walk-ins, one today and one tomorrow; that's how we are surviving right now. We are hoping that the tourists will come back soon because that's really how we pay our bills you know. ," Ned Phillips said.
