MP Lacroes: Support local innovation, SXM Taxi App is a legitimate solution

GREAT BAY--MP Francisco Lacroes told Parliament’s Committee of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (CTEATT) that the SXM Taxi App represents the type of local innovation St. Maarten should embrace rather than undermine.

He said it was discouraging to hear of the obstacles the promoters faced to establish a service that already exists worldwide, stressing that government may never have been able to deliver such a solution itself. “An endorsement on our tourism or government pages stating that this is a legitimate local entity and the first of its kind, what is the problem with endorsing locals?” Lacroes asked.

MP Lacroes said that whenever he heard about a taxi app in the past, he often associated it with a “crab in a bucket” mentality, where instead of celebrating innovation, people are quick to copy ideas or tear them down. “I have a problem with that,” he said, adding that he specifically asked his questions during the meeting to clear the air.

He pointed to Airbnb as an example of how regulation works on St. Maarten. “Airbnb cannot be regulated here because government cannot collect on behalf of others. So if government were to run a taxi app, it would require a lot of legislation, and I just don’t see that happening.” He also raised concerns about reports that the Ministry directly instructed the airport to remove SXM Taxi’s advertisement, saying such interference is troubling.

On the matter of official recognition, Lacroes said he does not expect government to brand SXM Taxi as the only app for the industry, but he does believe there is no problem with government simply acknowledging it as a legitimate local initiative. “An endorsement on our tourism page or a government page stating this is a legit entity and the first of its kind, what is the problem with endorsing locals?” he asked.

Lacroes explained that he had personally asked co-founder Lisa Gumbs about rumors of foreign ownership and was shown documentation proving that the Gumbs sisters had increased their shares. “That tells me that one day, the app might be owned 100 percent by the Gumbs twins. That makes me happy,” he said.

He also urged the promoters not to get caught up in debates about their fee structure. “It is not mandatory to use the taxi app in order to use a taxi. If I want, I can take a normal taxi and pay the regular fare without the app fees. Your prices are your prices, your cost of operation. No one tells government not to charge too much for a stamp we are still paying for GB stamps. So don’t go there, it is your business.”

Finally, Lacroes said it was “extremely discouraging” to hear what the SXM Taxi team had been through just to establish something that already exists in so many parts of the world.

He welcomed the presenters and said it was a relief to hear the intricacies of the SXM Taxi app given the earlier commotion about it. He noted that government itself would never have been able to execute such a solution, and compared the concept to how travelers think of Uber when arriving in foreign countries. He said the name “SXM Taxi App” puts St. Maarten on the map.

He praised the app’s passenger rating feature, noting that if this data were shared with transport authorities, it could help guide decisions on who should retain a permit. He also raised questions about payment options, asking whether the service works only with credit cards and suggesting that cash or debit should be clarified. He said he welcomed the fact that drivers do not have to be part of an association to join the app, since some are excluded but still hold valid permits. He highlighted that the back-end data could help drivers secure loans by demonstrating real income, and asked whether the base fares are tied to government-regulated rates. He also wanted to know if any country operates its own government-run taxi app, and he praised the 25 percent discount for locals, saying the measure was an excellent tool to combat gypsy drivers.

(𝘠𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘟𝘔 𝘛𝘢𝘹𝘪 𝘈𝘱𝘱 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴)

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