PSV bosses, new transport chief in war of words

“Reckless” accusations by new Transport Authority chief Ruth Holder that the association of public service vehicle owners is encouraging its members to break the law have been sharply rebuked, prompting the body to demand an apology.

Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael said the AOPT has been going all out to improve the conduct of PSV operators. He suggested it was responsible for a significant decline in the level of complaints from the commuters.

“To make that kind of statement after doing so much work in the industry… and see our numbers [of complaints] have fallen, it is really reckless,” he said.

“The director of the Transport Authority should come out a make a public apology to this association who not only represent mini buses and ZRs but represent taxi, hired cars, limousine and those people.”

Holder had previously refuted Raphael’s claim that PSV operators were being unfairly treated, insisting that they needed to comply with the law rather than try to breach it.

She was responding to a complaint from the AOPT leader who told a radio station that operators were being reported by the police for picking up passengers outside the Fairchild Street Bus Terminal where a bus stop had been placed but later removed.

The new Transport Authority director said then: “Our take on this entire matter is that our terminal [River Terminal] closes at 8 p.m. There are routed PSV operators in the Fairchild Street area as early as 6 pm.

“I think that it is important that associations inform their members to comply with the rules and regulations and the laws that determine how they operate, rather than allowing them to break the laws and break the rules and then find justification for their actions.”

But Raphael told Barbados TODAY that his association felt belittled by Holder’s remarks especially considering the improvements achieved in various areas such driving and dragging, drink-driving and playing lewd music.

He warned that if the AOPT did not receive a public apology from the authority’s director, then they would have to take the matter to Holder’s boss, Transport Minister Ian Gooding-Edghill.

Raphael said: “If we don’t get a public apology, the fact is, we may have to write the Minister [of Transport] seeking the intervention of the minister because coming in the public and making that kind of statement it really throws cold water on our ability to continue to work with the Transport Authority to create a friendly environment for both stakeholders.”

But APTO’s Consumer Complaints Officer, attorney at law Craig Banfield, who shared this afternoon’s interview with Raphael, maintained that the AOPT did not want any conflict with the authority.

“All of us need to work together. We have to work cordially and try and put all of our resources together, to make the transport industry, which is the major overall objective at hand, to be what we see in some of the more developed countries,” said Banfield.

He argued that it is time all concerned make a conscious effort to ensure the country gets the results needed to make this industry what it can be.

Addressing specifically the level of complaints against PSV operators, Raphael revealed that the organization’s complaints division has recorded a decline in calls from the public of between 25 calls to 30 calls per day during the past six months to about 10 calls per day.

He and Banfield noted that while complaints against PSVs have been magnified in the public domain, complaints by operators against commuters seem to be downplayed.

Banfield added: “PSV operators also complain against the public. We get complaints from PSV operators against the public in terms of them not wanting to pay the bus fare at the end of their route; not wanting to wear the face masks.”

Raphael chimed in: “One complaint we got was that this guy got on to a vehicle and he was in a grey shirt and a black pants and collected the bus far. He is not a conductor… [but he] collected the bus fare and then when he got close to the Black Rock Main Road, he got off the vehicle and ran. He picked up the bus fare without the driver knowing because he is keeping his eyes on the road. Those are the kinds of complaints we got…people eating and throwing the snow cone cups through the window.”

But President of the General Insurance Association of Barbados (GAIB) Goulbourne Alleyne told Barbados TODAY that there is still room for much improvement with respect to the behaviour and conduct of PSV operators.

Alleyne said: “I don’t think there has been any change in the industry. There is still a level of concern regarding the way how some PSVs are conducting themselves. That concern still remains very relevant. I don’t think there has been a major change in regards of that. I think there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of the general behaviour regarding the discipline surrounding some pubic service vehicles.”

When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, Acting Inspector Rodney Inniss was not in a position to provide an informed comment on the issue.

(emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb)