A member of the Transport Authority removes licence plates from this taxi in Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, recently. Operations in Portland have escalated and have now caused disunity within the Port Antonio Tours and Taxi Association. - file

President of the Port Antonio Tours and Taxi Association (PATTA), Roger Stewart, has been chided by cabbies in Portland for allegedly conspiring with members of the Transport Authority to seize dozens of vehicles last week.

The militant cabbies are also calling for Stewart's resignation.

A spokesperson for the group, Paul Sterling, told The Gleaner Tuesday that taxi operators felt a sense of betrayal on the part of the president. He added that they had lost all confidence in Stewart's leadership style.

Already regularised

According to Sterling, most of the operators are already regularised and others are in the process of securing approval from the Transport Authority.

"It is a stab in the back," he said. "We, as operators, had a good relationship with Mr Stewart, who we approached from time to time to provide us with guidance as to how best to conform.

"It is not propaganda, he was seen, either Tuesday or Wednesday of last week, travelling in a vehicle with persons from the Transport Authority department who were in the parish carrying out an exercise," Sterling added.

However, Stewart has rubbished those claims, insisting that some taxi operators are flouting regulations.

According to Stewart, some of the cabbies are attempting to undermine him and compromise his relationship with the majority of the operators.

'I had nothing to do with it'

"Let me categorically state that I had nothing to do with last week's exercise. Taxi operators and I are batting on the same team. I am here to offer them guidance and, without them, PATTA will never be a success," said Stewart.

He added that "as a team, we have put in a lot of hard work in getting to where we are. We have held several workshops to educate and sensitise taxi operators about the need to regularise, but some elements are determined to derail the process."

Approximately 45 vehicles were seized by the Transport Authority during a three-day exercise in Portland last week.