Push to Modernize V.I. Taxicab Commission Halted as Finance Warns Against Using Tourism Fund

An attempt to provide desperately needed funding to the VI Taxicab Commission was promptly shot down by the V.I. Department of Finance. Officials told lawmakers that the Tourism Advertising Revolving Fund, identified as the source of $400,000 to modernize the TCC, needs to be reconciled before more obligations can be made against it.  Authored by Senator Angel Bolques, Bill 36-0045 seeks to fund the implementation of technological upgrades at the TCC. The organization currently employs a paper-based system which officials have long admitted is not fit for purpose.  He stated the money would help bring the Commission into the 21st Century by “replacing outdated, inefficient systems with digital tools that serve both the agency and the operators as it regulates them.” He described the Commission’s current operations as “basically outdated and broken.”  “Relying on fragile paper records is a risk we can no longer afford,” Senator Bolques stated. He also complained about the inordinate a...