Call to reinstate taxi drivers with minor criminal records

Parliament is looking to change a 2019 law amendment that excluded taxi drivers with a criminal record from holding a licence, which MPs say needs to be modified to take account of the time that has passed since the offence took place and the nature of the conviction.

The reason is that a small number of taxi drivers that were convicted of minor offences in the past were excluded from the profession in 2019 under the then amendment even though up until then they still had a licence.

The issue was under discussion at the House legal affairs committee on Wednesday. The plan is to draw up a list of such drivers who may have been convicted of minor offences in the distant past when they were younger, and to have their licences that were withdrawn in 2019, reinstated.

Those convicted of violent crimes such as assaults, murders or sexual offences will be excluded from the reinstatement list. Names will be blanked out and only the circumstances and convictions. At the moment 15 definites are being considered to come under the umbrella of the new amendment but it could be as many as 50 or 60 out of a total of 2,500 registered taxi drivers.

MP Marinos Moushiouttas, who proposed the discussion at parliament said after the meeting that the 2019 criteria left a small number of people out in the cold such as those who might have been convicted of cannabis possession 30 years ago when they were young.  Even though they had a conviction, they were still allowed to hold a licence until 2019 when they became excluded by default.

“All these years these people were entitled to a licence based on the then existing legislation. The 2019 change put them out of business,” Moushiouttas said, adding that the issue had also been discussed at the transport commmittee.

“To our pleasant surprise today the Licensing Authority as well as the ministry of transport, advocated the promotion of the issue after the data is collected and processed so we can proceed with a law proposal which in essence will give them the right to regain the professional taxi licence they had,” he said, making it clear it would not apply to all taxi drivers convicted of a crime.