“We don’t have a policy for deferrals because we haven’t needed it,” Commission on Motor Vehicles for Hire Chair Brad Marthenstold the group at its December meeting. He was referring to deferrals for individuals on the taxi license waiting list, whose name finally came up but who did not want to receive the license at the time.The town issues only 32 taxi licenses, and there is an extensive waiting list of people, hoping for the chance to navigate the dirt roads and byways of Block Island with a van full of tourists and their luggage. Many people have been on the waiting list for many years, biding their time in anticipation of receiving one of the coveted taxi licenses, and the opportunity to pilot the taxicab on the ever-popular “island tour.”
Owning a taxi license is considered a solid source of income for a year-round islander and the idea that there would be people on the list who would want a deferral once their name finally came up has been considered ludicrous.
With the advent of the Covid pandemic, however, things changed for the commission and its waiting list. As multiple license holders gave up their license rather
