Commuters who rely on public service vehicle (PSV) are being given the assurance that privately-owned operators will be back at 100 per cent capacity by Wednesday, as the country continues to emerge from the effects of Hurricane Elsa, which affected the island last Friday.
At the same time, Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael is calling on Government to engage the PSV sector more as the country continues its rebuilding efforts.
Raphael told Barbados TODAY there was no serious damage to members’ properties and it was business as usual for some of them almost immediately as the all-clear was given following the storm.
However, he said members of the PSV body, which represents ZR, minibus and taxi operators, have been complaining of not knowing which roadways were still blocked or being cleared. He added that it would help if authorities would engage the sector.
Following the passage of the hurricane, several roads were blocked by fallen trees and downed power lines. Assessment and electricity restoration are continuing.
“A lot of the complaints come out of the fact that there were a number of fallen trees and debris on the road and some roads were impassable to our operators. But with the cleanup started we are hopeful that by today we should see most of our operators back on the road,” said Raphael.
He said that up to Sunday some roads were still impassable resulting in some drivers withdrawing their service. “I would say that we should expect full service by Wednesday,” he said.
“There are still some roads that are impassable. That is why it is critical that we should be part of the working group of the ministry so that they can identify to us early what are the roads that are impassable. Our difficulty is that we do not know. We have to rely on social media but when we get to some destination and then realise we have to divert because nobody told us,” he explained.
The association’s Director of Complaints Craig Banfield explained that once it was announced that the weather system would affect the island some 25 taxi operators were on “standby” to assist with the transportation of people to hospitals and shelters.
At the same time, he said as part of the association’s give-back, some members would be going into communities that were badly affected by the storm to do an assessment based on calls that they received.
“Every bit helps. We cannot expect the Government to do all. We want to play our part too as an association to ensure that commuters and even those who do not commute with us understand that we are here for the community and the people of Barbados with the help of the other social partners,” said Banfield.
Raphael further explained that some communities were still not getting transportation after 7 p.m. and the AOPT members would be seeking to meet those needs.
“We will be sending in a proposal to the Transport Authority asking them to create a new route from Black Rock to Warrens, moving from the Cheapside terminal. It would go through St Stephen’s Hill, Cave Hill Road, Warrens and back out. That would assist particularly those persons who have to wait two hours after 7 p.m. to commute to Eden Lodge. We already have a vehicle on standby waiting in the event the Transport Authority approves that route,” he said.
Sharing further plans of the association, Raphael said he would soon be lobbying government for a National Public Transport Day, to honour those in the sector.
“It is critical because these guys get up very early on mornings and they are the very last to go home after everybody gets home, even during storms, hurricanes or whatever. So we will be looking critically at introducing this to the ministry to ask Government to introduce a public transport day in Barbados,” he said. (marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)
