THE Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and the Guyana Taxi Service Association yesterday endorsed the Code of Ethics for Taxi Services and Drivers yesterday at a ceremony at the Guyana International Convention Centre (GCCI), Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara. The Code of Ethics for Taxi Services and Drivers was prepared and revised by the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) following several meetings with the stakeholders.

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Manniram Prashad told the gathering yesterday that he is proud of the conduct of most taxi services and drivers, and as such urged them to take advantage of training offered free of charge by the GTA.
He was also in high praise for taxi operators who have complied so far with the colour-coding for the taxis and the strides the industry is making as regards improving the service provided.
Prashad added that the Code of Ethics was developed by taxi operators following several meetings.
The Minister pointed out that the document was created to set high standards and the operators should not allow quacks to enter the business and undo all that has been done.

Prashad said, “GTA and the Ministry of Tourism and soon all government agencies will only use taxis that are yellow coded in corporate yellow.”
He said too that even tourists are using taxis that are yellow coded and he encouraged drivers and taxi services operators to protect their service and be adequately trained in order to comply with the rules of the business.
Prashad also told the meeting that the Code of Ethics will be monitored and incentives such as trips to tourist destinations and prizes will be awarded to those that maintain high standards.
He warned the gathering that those failing to comply with the Code of Ethics will face disciplinary action by the Guyana Taxi Service Association.
Meanwhile, Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, who was also present at the ceremony, said
the Police Traffic Department and the Traffic Chief were specially invited to the event so as to develop a workable partnership with the taxi operators.
Rohee said that today, in the National Assembly, the amendment to regulations of Road Traffic Act will be debated for yellow coded taxis to be enshrined in the Act.
He noted that it is the hope of the government to see all taxis in yellow.
President of the Guyana Taxi Drivers Association, Patrick Brassington, in brief remarks, said that there has been a demand for more taxi services and he encouraged stakeholders to raise the bar of the service and maintain professionalism.
Also making brief remarks was GTA Director, Indranauth Haralsingh, who underscored the importance of training and compliance with the Code of Ethics.
On June 22, 2010 the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) announced that the agreed colour code, corporate yellow, applies only to taxi services and taxis associated with a service, not to owners of personal hire cars, mini-buses, and tapirs that are being used for public transportation.
Owners of taxi services are advised that a waiver of fees for revenue licences, road service licences, certificate of fitness and radio spectrum will be granted for a two-year period. However, this waiver is conditional to the fulfillment of the usual requirements by the Guyana Revenue Authority and the Guyana Police Force. Owners of taxi services are urged to cooperate with this regulation which came into effect on August 01, 2010, by ensuring that all taxis associated with a service are of the designated colour.
In 2009, President Bharrat Jagdeo convened a meeting with owners of taxi services around the country in a bid to initiate a partnership agreement with the view to modernising the services provided to customers.
A number of proposals were discussed, including installation of meters to determine mileage and cost, uniform, installation of flex glass, no passengers in the front seat, installation of the service’s official logo and repainting all taxis in one common colour.
However, it was agreed that the repainting of taxis would be mandatory, while the others could be complied with by choice as Government does not want to exert undue pressure on taxi drivers.
Taxis that are in a specific colour will be entitled to special privileges and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) will work towards a better relationship with drivers of one-colour taxis. Further, Government also financed training sessions on subjects such as first aid training and customer service.