DSTA President Maya Friday stands near her taxi.
PHILIPSBURG--Dutch St. Maarten Taxi Association (DSTA) President Maya Friday says the country’s taxi industry continues to struggle with long-standing challenges such as a burdensome tax system, rising costs, and traffic congestion, but indicated that the association is also working internally to improve the sector without relying too heavily on government.
Some members of the DSTA.
“The first step is to not rely too heavily on the government. Internally, we are working on ways to improve the sector,” Friday told The Daily Herald in an interview.
Friday was re-elected President in November 2024 and described the year so far as “an exciting” one. “The association is getting ready to introduce the general public to a project we've been working on for two years,” she said.
One factor affecting ridership levels, Friday explained, is the discontinuation of several Carnival cruise ships, which brought a younger demographic of passengers eager to explore the island. Asked whether ridership levels returned to pre-pandemic levels and if not, what factors are still holding the industry back, she said: “Those levels haven’t returned due to the Carnival cruise line’s discontinuation of several ships. Carnival cruise line provided a younger demographic of passengers that were more likely to eagerly explore the island,” she said. She also noted that traffic limitations restrict the number of trips any taxi can make within a “cruise day.” “The high season has now gone from 6 months to 5 months. This makes an obvious impact.”
The DSTA, which has over 200 members operating out of Port St. Maarten primarily serving cruise passengers, continues to grapple with operational challenges.
On the current state of the industry, Friday said, “It's the same as when I entered the field in 2013/2014. Proper customer training, crisis situation training, and first aid training is a must. Hopefully, the current Minister of TEATT makes good on taking care of these important areas. The associations have limited resources and always need some form of assistance in properly facilitating these programmes.”
She also cited the country’s tax system as a major challenge. “A taxi operator is considered a small business. Small businesses suffer tremendously in this area,” she said, adding that the island’s traffic situation continues to impact operations.
Rising fuel prices and vehicle maintenance costs have added to the pressure. “Along with the rising cost of fuel, finding affordable parts on the island is near impossible. Often times, parts have to be ordered abroad, and drivers lose several valuable days from work. Of course, that extends into other areas like the affordability of basic necessities,” Friday explained.
Asked about unlicensed operators and unfair competition, Friday said, “The concern is always that the government protects its license owners. Of course, we cannot sit and wait for the government to do everything. We try our best to move along with the changing times instead of trying to fight against it.”
When asked about the number of taxi licenses issued and concerns of industry saturation, Friday said DSTA drivers operate on Port St. Maarten under a specific framework. “There are rules and regulations and also various restrictions in terms of accessibility. It's not a free-for-all, like say for
example in Philipsburg or the strip in Simpson Bay. So, we have not felt any direct impact.”
Asked to weigh in on the results of the investigation done on the issuance of (bus) and taxi licenses last year and the plans to revoke licenses that were granted through procedures not properly followed, Friday said, “It is best to leave this up to authorities.”
Sharing her thoughts on plans to revamp the industry, she said, “Any ideas to revamp the industry should be welcomed by all persons in the industry. People love the island, and if new attractions are introduced, that will keep our visitors coming back for more. The island needs innovative ideas, particularly new land and water-based excursions. The shopping experience on Front Street should be spiced up and add more variety.”
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/maya-friday-tax-traffic-fuel-continues-to-hurt-taxi-sector-industry-working-to-improve-itself
