The Senate this morning (Sep 28) passed a bill to protect the government from possible legal action resulting from the Transport Authority’s illegal collection of fees from public passenger vehicle (PPV) operators for almost 27 years.

The approved Transport Authority Validation and Indemnity Act seeks to validate and confirm the imposition and collection of fees by the Transport Authority, in addition to protecting the government and transport authority from liability during the period December 1, 1988 to December 8, 2015.

The bill means that PPV operators who have been affected by the Transport Authority’s previously unlegislated enforcement operations cannot take legal action against the government.

Acting leader of government business in the Senate, Senator Ruel Reid piloted the bill.

Senator Reid noted that the indemnity act contains two provisions to correct anomalies in the Transport Authority Fees Regulation 2015 Act.

And, while supporting the bill, Opposition Senator K.D. Knight called on the government to undertake to include compensatory provisions in validating bills, going forward.