The Taxi Association of Seychelles submitted a petition with a list of grievances addresses personally to President Danny Faure on February 21, 2018. Three Ministries (Tourism, Transport & Finance) followed up on the grievances at the request of the President and monthly meetings were set up with the ministers responsible for Tourism and Transport with their respective technicians.
This was followed by a series of working meetings Chaired by the PS of Transport were held between the Taxi Association and representatives from Ministries or Departments of Transport, Tourism, Road Commissioner, Vehicle Testing Station, Finance, Licensing among others.
An important meeting was set for May 7 at the last meeting Chaired by the Minister of Transport in the presence of the Minister of Tourism where the points discussed and agree to by the working committee would be tabled for final discussion. Taxi Operators from Mahe, Praslin and La Digue turned up for the meeting only to be told that it had been cancelled in the Minister’s Diary. No one had the courtesy to advise the Taxi Operators who were acting as representatives on an important transport industry of Seychelles. The PS for Transport in his last Minutes of the Working Committee Meeting of the 19th April confirmed the follow-up meeting with the Ministers.
The Taxi Association of Seychelles feels that today’s cancellation of the meeting showed a total lack of respect for Taxi Operators and a slap in the face for President Faure who had mandated the Tourism Minister to coordinate the meeting to analyse the grievances submitted to his office. “Taxi Operation is a line of business reserved for Seychellois Nationals and today it shows the little to no respect being shown to the working Seychellois man and woman” said a representative off the Taxi Operators gathered at the Ministry of Transport for today’s meeting. Another representative said that Ministers change but the Ministries are expected to continue functioning for Seychelles and for its people” another said.
The Taxi Association has now written to President Faure to express their disappointment and asking for him to personally meet them as they have lost faith in Government Ministries who have no respect for Seychellois.
