00:00Word of the hefty fines on the Schedule 9 of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act is spreading fast.
00:06We visited the Arima taxi stand in Puerto Spain to feel the opinions of drivers.
00:11Sheldon Trotman says he saw the news circulating on social media.
00:15It's a great surprise to me that the government finding these times to target taxi drivers or drivers on the whole on the public roads
00:24and not addressing certain things that is need to be addressed.
00:28In terms of roads and with taxi drivers as well, like our tariffs.
00:33According to Trotman, taxi drivers are already struggling to make ends meet
00:37and some might even lose their vehicles because of the new fines.
00:41But it's not all doom and gloom from his perspective.
00:44The extravagant increase in fees is a sense of deterrent for people to make sure that they do the right thing.
00:55Fellow taxi driver Pelham Likwai is in alignment with that thought.
00:59If Trinidadians wasn't breaking the law, they wouldn't have a reason to have taxes raised.
01:07But once they continue doing nonsense, they will always find a way to milk the living daylights out of us.
01:13The demerit point system has been scrapped for most parts, even except for six criminal offenses,
01:19for which the point system remains.
01:21Likwai notes that less drivers will lose their licenses and will be on the road for the new fines.
01:27They're just finding ways of making money.
01:32And they don't really care about the public.
01:35Over on the port of Spain to Shugwona's taxi stand, drivers are digesting the news as well.
01:42Shulon Blake sees it as a promise broken by the United National Congress,
01:46which had promised before the 2025 general election to get rid of the demerit point system.
01:51She got rid of the demerit points.
01:53And now we're coming to raise fines.
01:55There's not any difference.
01:58There's not a difference.
01:59You understand?
02:00I believe you should stay.
02:01Stay.
02:02If you're saying you're helping people, help people.
02:04As for the 1,000% increase in fines for driving without insurance,
02:09Blake isn't necessarily against that, calling it a safeguard.
02:13A lot of people drive without insurance and then when they get into accidents,
02:16people dying and there's no redress.
02:18You understand?
02:19There is one area that the majority of those we spoke to,
02:22including Port of Spain to Shugwona's taxi driver Marvin Clark, are in agreement with.
02:27And if you do the right thing, you do how to get the fines.
02:31So I have no problem with the rise of the fees.
02:33It's just that at the end of the day, they shall consult with a lot of people
02:36and consult with the drivers before they make these amendments now.
02:39So come out and have a consultation with the communities and raise them with the people
02:43before you go to make something, increase of this and increase of that.
02:48They will just tell you and they're going to still do what they want to do.
02:52So you don't think it makes a difference?
02:54No, it doesn't.
02:55Yes, yes.
02:57It should be aware that certain things will be put in place.
03:00Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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