This illegal operation has been going on “for quite a long time” but there’s no action taken against it, he added.
He has already notified the taxi bureau of the Department of Commerce.
Even “beach boys” use their private cars for hire, Syed said.
“When you go up to Mt. Tapochau in the morning and afternoon you can see private cars with tourist passengers.”
This illegal activity is “unfair” to legitimate taxi operators and is “not healthy” for the economy of the island, he added.
The restaurants, he said, allow their waiters and cashiers to drive their customers, usually tourists, around the island.
Taxi operators must buy third-party liability insurance and pay business license fees, Syed said.
But illegal cars-for-hire are not paying a single cent to the government, he added.
“We are not against them if they will compete as taxi operators as long as they comply with the requirements and go through the legal procedures for operating a vehicle that transports passengers,” Syed said.
He is asking the Department of Labor and the Division of Immigration to check the employment status of the waiters, cashiers and those working for tour agencies who operate these cars-for-hire.
These individuals should not be permitted to transport tourists using their personal or company vehicles, he added.
If this illegal operation continues, Syed said, this will eventually phase out legitimate taxis on Saipan.
He has asked Rep. Joseph C. Reyes, R-Saipan and chairman of the House Committee on Commerce and Tourism, to propose adequate guidelines for transporting tourists on island.
