The Government of Saint Lucia has declared that Uber is operating illegally on the island and has ordered the ride-hailing company to suspend its services until it complies with local laws.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Information Ernest Hilaire said today that position was communicated to Uber in writing following meetings last week with key stakeholders, including the National Taxi Union and the National Council on Public Transportation.
Speaking at Monday’s pre-Cabinet press briefing, Hilaire identified three major areas of concern: Uber has not obtained a trade licence, has not registered with the Inland Revenue Department to pay applicable taxes, and has not been certified under the Tourism Development Act.
“We expressed those sentiments with Uber and we indicated to them that in our view, they were operating illegally in Saint Lucia,” he said.
As a result, the government has instructed the company to cease operations until the required processes are completed.
“We indicated to them that we believe that they need to reset, that they could not continue to operate as they were operating…. We did ask them to suspend their operations in Saint Lucia until they had cleared the way forward,” the minister said.
Despite this, St Lucia Times was able to confirm that the Uber app remains active and users are still able to book trips.
The National Taxi Union has also advised its members against signing up on the Uber platform, cautioning that those who do so could face action from the union.
When asked whether the government would take enforcement action if Uber continues to operate, Hilaire replied: “I won’t go into that detail right now. But let’s just say we weigh all our options at this point in time.”
However, he noted that further discussions with Uber are expected to address the concerns raised.
“We are awaiting from them a date for our follow-up meeting and for us to be able to decide how we move forward,” Hilaire said.
