from Jamaica
Commuters were left stranded on Monday 14 Novem- ber as Jamaican taxi and bus operators carried out an island-wide strike after they voted to withdraw
their
service in pursuit of a traffic ticket amnesty from the government. At the major transport hub in downtown, Kingston, commuters crammed buses from the state-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company, as taxi operators parked their vehicles in protest. The cabbies were requesting the amnesty because they are frustrated with the more punitive road traffic ticketing system. They also expressed frustration over the possibility of being jailed for unpaid fines, many of which they say were issued unfairly. Egerton Newman, president of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services (TODSS), said it is unfair that the government is willing to facilitate a gun amnesty but not one for operators of taxis and buses. However, taxi operators were back at work on Wednesday morning after meeting with Transportation Minister Audley Shaw and the Transport Authority on Tuesday. Mr Newman said in a press release that the meeting was cordial, and they were pleased with the outcome. “[The] meeting was the type of meeting we wanted, and we got it, the members outlined their concerns and the challenges they faced in the sector that led to our request for a payment plan to freely make good on our outstanding traffic tickets,” the release said. It was reported that the minister requested that the transport operators present a proposal outlining the request for a payment plan and how it can be executed. The plan was due to be presented to Cabinet an the end of November.
84
WORLDWIDE TAXI FOCUS from Qatar
JAMAICAN TAXI OPERATORS RETURN AFTER 2-DAY STRIKE OVER TICKETS
CABBIE IN QATAR STUNNED A GROUP OF PASSENGERS FROM WALES
A group of Welsh presenters had quite the experience when taking a taxi in Qatar while covering the World Cup as their driver surprised them by having Yma o Hyd on his playlist. The song by
Dafydd Iwan has
become an adopted anthem for Welsh football fans, giving it a whole new lease of life in recent months S4C presenter and journalist Sioned Dafydd shared the “surreal” footage of the driver’s playlist online, saying that the driver had the song ready to go when he found out where they were from. On Twitter she wrote: “Hands down one of the most surreal moments I’ve ever had. Taxi Driver: “Where are you from?” Us: “Wales. Gareth Bale.” And then out of nowhere… he had this on his YouTube playlist.” The song was written by Iwan in 1983 and released at a time of political and economical turmoil in Wales, where the age of Thatcherism saw many coal pits closing, thousands of men and women losing their jobs and times of great hardship for many. The title translates to ‘Still Here’. Almost 40 years later, the song has become the soundtrack of Welsh football, with fans up and down the country - and in Qatar itself - belting out the tune at every opportunity. And it seems as though it’s not just Welsh people who have taken the song under their wing, with Sioned saying the driver already had the emotional tune on his playlist. She said that she was travelling back to her hotel in Doha with colleagues when their driver asked where they were from. The driver - who told them he was from India - said he supported Brazil. Next minute, out of nowhere, the driver pulled up his YouTube playlist and started playing Yma o Hyd. Sioned said they hadn’t even mentioned it to him beforehand and that the experience was “totally bonkers.” On Monday, 21 November, Dafydd Iwan had given Welsh fans a moment they'll never forget by turning up at a hotel in Doha and leading a rousing rendition of the song ahead of the team’s first world cup clash against the USA.
DECEMBER 2022 PHTM
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