After a long hiatus, the V.I. Taxicab Commission announced Tuesday that certification courses for existing and aspiring taxi operators will resume Dec. 2.
The classes, which will be in-person and run about six weeks, are being offered through the University of the Virgin Islands Center for Excellence in Leadership and Learning in collaboration with the Tourism Department and Government House, Taxicab Commission Acting Board Chairperson Elizabeth Hansen Watley said at a brief virtual meeting Tuesday to announce the resumption of the program.
The courses, which will run about six weeks, will cost $700 total, including a $100 application fee, $100 processing fee, and $500 class fee, said Hansen Watley. Once participants pass the class, they also must pay for a taxi badge and a license from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, she said.
Applications and more detailed information will be shared in the coming weeks, said Hansen Watley, adding that Tuesday’s meeting was a preliminary notice to let the public know “we are moving forward as anticipated.”
The lack of certification classes came to a head last year when public meetings and Senate hearings were held to discuss that and other issues. Some drivers said either they or someone they knew paid hundreds of dollars in administrative fees to take the licensure test and then waited years for an announcement of the next test.
According to testimony at a Senate hearing in August 2023 by Executive Director Vernice Gumbs, there were 518 taxi medallions in circulation on St. Croix, 1,273 on St. Thomas, and 167 on St. John. She hinted then that the certification classes would resume, telling legislators that the Tourism commissioner had signed and submitted the funding contract for the “Taxi Training and License Program” to UVI-CELL.
“The Commission intends to revise the platform for said program to ensure that our operators are fully trained in all aspects of the business including knowledge of our culture, our history, and the rules and regulations that govern the industry,” Gumbs said at the time.
The application process for the December classes is open to the public and, currently, slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, said board secretary Myrna George. While the commission will contact those who are on its waiting list to see if they are still interested in attending, priority will be given based on payment and vetting that applicants meet the requirements, she said.
“I just want the public to be aware that we are ramping up and adding on more classes so we can serve the public. We know it’s been some time that people have been waiting,” said Hansen Watley. “We want to make sure that everyone spreads the word. This is a community effort to make sure that we have everyone come in that is interested in taking these classes so we can ramp up and make sure that all is well here in the territory.”
The classes cover everything from popular locations to how to communicate with passengers, to local history and information about destinations on each of the islands, and the commission’s rules and regulations.
Julien Henley, the territory’s Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator, said the course information is also “based on ADA law and requirements of communications and the best way to communicate with people of different types of disabilities to best accommodate those people.”
