Taxi fares review to proceed via stipulated laws, after public transportation reports delayed process

AIRPORT--Now that most of the verification work for the public transportation sector has been completed, the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (TEATT), among other things, is turning its attention back to the taxi tariff system. This review will include all official tariffs, among them the rates applied by taxis operating at Princess Juliana International Airport. The current tariff schedule has been in effect since 2021, and earlier this year the Ministry already met with the Airport Taxi Association to discuss concerns and possible adjustments.

In recent months TEATT’s priority had to shift to addressing two key reports on public transportation issued by the government auditor SOAB and the Integrity Chamber. As part of the Ministry’s response, comprehensive validation checks of taxi permits were carried out and several internal databases were updated to ensure that all information on permit holders is accurate and up to date. The scope and importance of that exercise meant that any planned changes to taxi tariffs had to be temporarily put on hold until the verification work was properly finalized.

With that groundwork now largely completed, the Ministry is again focusing on the tariff structure. However, the public is reminded that tariff changes cannot be introduced overnight. Adjustments to official taxi rates are not made through verbal agreements or internal memos. They fall under the national decree containing general measures, known as the Landsbesluit, houdende algemene maatregelen (LBHAM), which sets out a formal and legally binding process.

In practice this means that any proposal to modify tariffs must first be drafted and justified within the Ministry. The draft is then submitted for advice to the Social and Economic Council (SER), followed by a separate review by the Council of Advice. After these advisory bodies have issued their opinions, the draft decree must be approved by the Council of Ministers and subsequently published before it takes legal effect. Each of these stages can take several weeks, so moving from a preliminary proposal to an enforceable new tariff schedule is a multi month process.

Until this legal trajectory has been completed and a new LBHAM on taxi tariffs is officially enacted, all operators are required to apply the tariffs currently in force. TEATT emphasizes that this protects both passengers and drivers by ensuring that any change to taxi rates is transparent, properly motivated and in full compliance with the laws of St. Maarten.

The aforementioned has reportedly been relayed to the airport taxi association who had expressed some concern about the delay in arriving at a new fare structure.

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