San Pedro Taxi Drivers Protest ‘Unlawful Golf Cart Hustling’

Taxi drivers in San Pedro are calling for immediate action to stop unlawful practices by golf cart rental companies at the island’s ports. On Thursday morning, a group of taxi drivers protested outside Mayor Gualberto ‘Wally’ Nuñez’s office, demanding a solution to what they see as unsafe and unlawful behaviour affecting their business and the safety of tourists.

Ademir Vega, president of the Five Star Taxi Association, told News 5 that the issue has been discussed with the mayor and local representatives for nearly three years. Despite numerous talks, Vega says no real action has been taken. “We have been addressing it with the mayor and the respective authorities with the traffic ministry here in San Pedro as well. Nothing has been implemented,” he said.

According to Vega, golf cart rental companies are operating illegally at the San Pedro ports. “These companies are hustling at the ports of entry and leaving tourists to feel harassed and unsafe,” Vega said. He claims these companies are offering transportation to tourists without proper authorisation, which he describes as both unlawful and dangerous, he said that “trade license permit or certificate that rental companies get, specifies that they must operate from their offices locations.”

“Several guys that do not work for a company that will not even provide or have any job with somebody in a specific, but they will just go around asking tourists if they want a golf cart to try to see if they can make a commission out of selling a golf cart to anyone,” he said.
Vega described rental companies’ tactics as “against the law and unsafe and unprofessional” for tourists. He stated this puts tourists at risk when they are transported on overloaded golf carts.

He says that the situation has worsened, with rental companies now taking up parking spaces at the newly relocated San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi terminal. According to Vega, this has caused congestion and made it difficult for taxi drivers to park and pick up passengers. “Several guys that do not work for a company just go around asking tourists if they want a golf cart to try to see if they can make a commission out of selling a golf cart to anyone,” Vega explained.

Despite numerous complaints, the taxi federation claims that the traffic department and Mayor Nuñez have yet to act. Vega says that the Federation is now considering legal action after years of discussions. “We are moving forward with the next steps… We are proceeding now; whether they like it or not, we’re going forward. We are tired of doing it the easy way of talking and doing so much of meetings. So we don’t want to do that again. We are taking the second step,” Vega stated.