SP Taxi Federation Puts Protest on Pause

Vice President of the San Pedro Taxi Federation, Ademir Vega, told News 5 this morning that the taxi associations have put their protest on hold until next Wednesday. He said that a meeting between government officials and the federation is set to take place that day. Vega stated that based on the outcome of that meeting, the federation will then determine if its members will go ahead with the protest or not. 

As we have been reporting, San Pedro taxi drivers gathered outside Mayor Gualberto ‘Wally’ Nuñez’s office on January 9 and demanded a solution to what they see as unsafe and unlawful behaviour affecting their business and the safety of tourists. 

The taxi drivers say that they have acquired a permit to organise a formal protest to continue pushing their cause.

Last week, Vega told us that golf cart rental companies are operating illegally at the San Pedro ports area and offering ‘unauthorised’ transportation to tourists. According to Vega, these companies are violating regulations, as their trade licenses specify they must operate from their office locations, not ports of entry. He said that despite raising concerns for nearly three years, there has been no action taken by local authorities.

Mayor Nuñez told News 5 that his administration has been looking into the issue with the guidance of an attorney. However, he clarified that the terminal is private property, limiting the council’s authority over the area.

Vega stated that the taxi associations would be taking legal action to resolve the issue.

Meanwhile, on January 10, the San Pedro Belize Express (SPBE) issued a statement addressing concerns over taxi operations at their new terminal. The water taxi service clarified that no taxis are being banned from picking up or dropping off passengers. In fact, the terminal’s parking lot is still under construction, and the company is working on improving traffic flow for both taxis and passengers.

SPBE added the importance of maintaining order and reducing congestion, with security and police personnel on-site to assist with traffic management. The company has set a maximum wait time of 10-15 minutes for taxi pick-ups and drop-offs to prevent delays.

“Once the terminal’s construction is complete, proper signage will be placed throughout the compound to clearly guide the flow of traffic,” SPBE said in its statement.