The automobile for hire industry, one of the territory’s more competitive environments, can breed conflict, but it can be tackled with a holistic approach, according to Virgin Islands Taxicab Commission Executive Director Judith Wheatley.
Wheatley spoke Tuesday in front of some 20 Rotarians, members of the Rotary Sunrise Club, as part of the Practice Peace Initiative, a campaign launched by the local St. Thomas Rotary clubs in response to the rising tide of violence in the territory.
As director of the Taxicab Commission, Wheatley oversees the operations of automobiles for hire “through education, regulation and vigorous enforcement of laws, rules and regulations governing the taxicab industry.”
Being a taxi driver, according to Wheatley, is not as simple as getting behind the wheel and providing transportation. She said the community must acknowledge this professional group as entrepreneurs who are no different from any other business owner.
“The automobile industry causes a competitive environment more than others, which contributes to conflict in the workplace,” said Wheatley, adding that this situation is more prevalent on busy St. Thomas than on St. Croix or St. John.
Wheatley said that with the desperation to earn a decent wage, coupled with the intense competition resulting from too many taxicab operators conducting business in the same vicinity, conflict arises. She said taxicab operators begin to feel that their livelihoods are at stake.
“I regulate an industry comprised of more than 2,000 different personalities,” she explained. “Whether we realize it or not, every day I assess the personalities of the people around us.”
Wheatley added that “our cosmopolitan society,” composed of rich and varied demographics, means the personality challenges are not seen among tour operators under her regulations only, but also arise from the general public.
According to Wheatley, she came from a background of extensive experience in dealing with different personalities. She worked at the Legal Counsel’s Office at the Legislature from 1978 to 1985, and co-owned and operated Wheatley Taxi Services and Tours from 1985 to 2008, when she took the post of executive director at TCC.
“I bundled all these experiences and envisioned a holistic healing approach for the betterment of the automobile for hire industry at the Virgin Islands Taxicab Commission,” she said.
The combination of economic need, conflicting personalities and cultural differences, said Wheatley, needs a holistic approach to healing that takes into account the individual’s emotional, mental, spiritual and physical aspects. She advised maintaining a positive attitude, avoiding prejudice and keeping emotions under control while resolving the conflict.
According to Wheatley, legislation pertaining to the automobile for hire industry can also contribute to conflict. She cited, as one example, the vague categorization of limousines as not being vehicles for hire, placing them outside of her oversight jurisdiction, and causing conflicts in regulation.
“There are laws that are vague, laws that are contradictory and laws that are unenforceable, all born out of special interest legislation,” she said. “These are serious times that require comprehensive and enforceable laws.”
Nonetheless, according to Wheatley, conflict in its varied forms, not only in the automobile for hire industry, has to be handled appropriately.
“When handled in a respectful and positive way, conflict provides an opportunity for growth and improvement,” she said.
