(CMR) With Cayman roads becoming increasing unsafe a Cayman Marl Road fan was surprised to see a taxi driver recently pull out of public beach loaded with tourists packed two per seat.
They followed the vehicle to its final destination and snapped some photos along the way which were shared with. Some additional information was provided to us:
“Nearly everyone in the taxi had someone sitting on their lap.”
Exceeding bus capacity means that persons would not have been wearing seat belts and instead were positioned in an unsafe manner should there have been an accident. We have been reliably informed this practice is carried out to make more money and that some drivers have no regard for customer and road safety. When asked why anyone would create such an unsafe environment we were informed it comes down to greed:
“They make one trip and back people in double and that's double the money. I am surprised that the passengers themselves have not reported this practice. Most of them are very safety conscious. This really is a driver choosing greed over any safety concerns.”
We understand that the bus drove from Seven Mile Beach all the way to the port with the passengers sitting like this. The eyewitness also stated that this is not an unusual occurrence.
CMR reached out to the Public Transport Chair and Department of Tourism Director, Rosa Harris and she issued a statement that stressed the importance of public transport safety:
“The Ministry of District Administration, Tourism and Transport (MDATT) takes all complaints and concerns shared with the utmost concern – for the safety of our residents and visitors alike … when complains are logged the operator is notified and provided an opportunity to respond and all documentation relevant to the complaint is prepared for the public transport board to review and render a decision.”
The public is encouraged to report any concerns to 946-1323 or email [email protected]
However, CMR has been reliably informed that many fellow transport operators are afraid of retaliation and are unlikely to lodge a formal complaint against other operators. Apparently some wield more power than others. One shared their opinion when showed the photos:
“Since the license plate number is clearly displayed in this case we would hope that action can be taken. Pictures are worth a thousand words and in this case it's obvious what is going on here.”
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