Utc President – By Tahna Weston
Utc President Welcomes Move
President of the United Taxi Company (UTC), Ian Joseph, said the move toward weekly homeporting by 2027 is a positive development, as the industry prepares for an anticipated increase in visitor arrivals.
Joseph noted that homeporting operations are currently taking place every 14 days, but this is expected to increase to a weekly schedule by the end of this year, requiring stakeholders to position themselves to accommodate higher passenger volumes.
He said planning is already underway to ensure the sector is ready for the projected growth in cruise traffic, along with other upcoming events expected to bring additional visitors to the country.
Joseph indicated that preparations are also beginning for major international events which are expected to further increase demand on transportation services.
The UTC president emphasised the need for early planning to effectively manage the expected inflow and ensure readiness across the sector.
“We’re also in the early stages of preparing for the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting. The conversation has begun about that. These are factors that will also bring more people to the country. We have to start planning for big events like that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Joseph provided an update on the use of electric vehicles within the taxi fleet, noting that the association has received two electric buses, although more were initially expected, and described their performance as satisfactory within current operations.
“However, I would say that in our fleet, we were given two electrical buses. We’re supposed to get four, but we have two so far. We are really happy with the performance of these electric buses. We only now use them for homeporting. They have been very good in that aspect,” Joseph said.
