In early January 2006 accusations from his fellow sector operators that his own enterprise – Webster’s Tours – was getting far more bookings from Cruise Ships because of his presence on the Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA) Board and the Public Transportation Board (PTB), were louder than they had ever been in the past.

This thinking among his peers has continued unchanged from several months and now Webster’s Tours owner and Manager, Kenrick Webster, has described these “unfounded accusations” as “too frustrating” and therefore, he has decided to step down from both Boards.

“I have already handed in my resignation to the PTB, and that takes effect on 30 April,” he said. Mr Webster, who has sat on both Boards for the past two years, explained that in relation to CITA, “I am just not offering myself up for re-election at the next meeting in April.”

With CITA Mr Webster is the Board’s Director of Transportation. Mr Webster’s resignation from the Boards may be welcome by those who were very upset and severely disadvantaged in the 7 January fracas, which had Port Taxi Drivers, once again, considering a strike.

Before that incident Mr Webster proved to be a voice of reason, and a power of negotiation with the Ministry and the PTB, when drivers were threatening to strike in late 2005 over low fairs, very little business for some drivers, lack of structure in the sector, and other issues.

However, on 7 January, Port Taxi Driver saw Mr Webster as the cause of the problem. The aggression towards Mr Webster heightened on that Saturday when it was said that “only one tour bus operator got all the business from a cruise liner to transport the cruise’s over 400 passengers while they were on shore in Grand Cayman.”

This operator was Mr Webster. Normally, an arrangement like this leaves some drivers – a group that includes approximately 400 – earning a less-than-minimum amount for a day. This is a sum that would not even be able to fund the cost of having their vehicles on the road looking for work.

Describing the circumstances that brought matters to strike proportions, Mr Webster said that it was the ship’s decision to go with his company only. “The ship had about four hundred passengers on board and they were all high-end, VIP travellers.

“However, because the weather was so bad, and the ship had to come in at Spotts, the liner determined that it did not want this ilk of passengers coming off in an area where they would have to seek transportation on their own to get into George Town to the shops. “So I got a call from the liner while it was out at sea.

I understand that I was recommended to them. I have never done direct business with this liner before. I am not sure who made the recommendation but the liner told me I came highly recommended. “The ship did not want to have to make arrangements any other way.

If I chose to encourage them to do so I stood the risk of sending away the only ship for the day that would be bringing any revenue in to the Island, despite the choppy-water conditions. “I am conscious about everyone that is involved but this was not my decision to make.

The part that was my decision was to choose to have the ship come and not have the Island have to forgo other types of revenue that could be earned from the visitors. “Additionally, the revenue for my company only involved transport to and from George Town.

It did not involve any island tours.” However, putting aside the circumstances of that 7 January incident, other members of this large group say Mr Webster’s resignation does not solve any of the sector’s problems. In fact his resignation is a strong reminder of how many problems need to be fixed in the large group.

These members of the Taxi Tour Operators group remember the help that Mr Webster has provided in the past for problems. The list of problems includes a long-time unheeded call for Government to step in to the sector and regulate, uniforms, other standards and fees.

Also there is a long-term situation in the industry where six large operators were getting the greatest share of tourist-transport pie that has to feed some 400 taxi drivers, and their families. In the past drivers have described the situation as virtually untenable because earnings for some drivers end up as low as $32.00 per day.

No standardised fee is a problem that results in single large operators negotiating contracts individually – with the risk that fees may be suppressed because big operators negotiate against the volume of tourists in the package. The fact is this does not serve the long-term interest of the sector where small operators with few vehicles or one vehicle cannot meet costs at those rates.

The sector’s problems are worse because there is disunity between the three-year-old industry organisation – the Land and Sea Cooperative – and other drivers. Some describe the Cooperative as ineffective in handling issues and some 200 drivers have stayed away from it – operating on their own with undesirable circumstances such as uncertain wages.

Finally stepping in and calling a huge sector meeting on 17 January, Tourism Minister, Hon Charles Clifford painted a picture of a new and much deeper involvement with the transport sector. Many give Mr Webster credit for this move. Government input has been one of Mr Webster’s repeated cries.

In a total about-face from his former position he said that when there are problems it is “important that, as an industry, we find solutions collectively.” He said, “The Public Transport Board (PTB) and the Ministry will have to look at the matter (the 7 January issue when one tour operator got the contract to transport some 700 cruise visitors, leaving no work for the other drivers) in greater detail and also discuss the matter with the cruise line involved.

 After that, we will take it to the Ministry for internal discussion. “There are a number of people (drivers) hurting. There are more drivers than we need at certain times of the year. We are going to make sure we clean up (the transport system) and make it credible and reliable.”

Even though operators had complained about the possibility of unfair advantage with an Operator being on the PTB, most people at that meeting recognised the need for the group to in fact have a voice on these Boards – the voice of someone who knows the problems, like Mr Webster.

“If it’s not Mr Webster, who will it be and won’t there be same false accusations with someone else? We must have representation on these Boards,” one operator said. Among his successes Mr Webster also includes the 2005 rate increase; the dialogue so far on Taximeters, personnel training and uniforms; work on the tourism management policy; and other programmes.