PSV owners plead for talks with government officials

Officials of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) are urging the Government to meet with representatives of the sector regularly so lingering issues can be resolved once and for all.

In fact, communications, information and marketing officer Mark Haynes and chairman Roy Raphael told Barbados TODAY that privately-owned public service vehicle (PSV) operators were at their wits’ end as far as longstanding issues plaguing the industry were concerned.

Raphael again served notice that his organisation was prepared to take action if no meetings or solutions were forthcoming.

“We are going to get back to the public about our next move because we cannot have a Ministry of Transport that has not yet met with our association,” he said.

Chief among the lingering issues are the potholes on the island’s roads that result in major damage to vehicles, high insurance costs, and the lack of maintenance of bus stops.

The PSV body is also concerned that despite years of pleading with authorities, there was still no provision for taxi operators in the Fairchild Street and Heroes Square locations, especially when major events are being held in The City.

“We would have asked publicly for a meeting with the Ministry of Transport to have these matters discussed and they failed to do so. We still have outstanding issues relating to taxis at the terminal in Fairchild Street and taxis in Heroes Square that we need to resolve. We sent an appeal to the Transport Authority and the ministry to meet with us,” said Raphael.

He complained that potholes created a major headache for PSV owners who said they were forced to fork out large sums to repair damage to their vehicles.

Raphael said this was especially the case for those who operated some routes in the rural communities of St Andrew, St John and St Joseph.

“Some of our operators threaten to take their vehicles off some routes, which will make it very difficult for people to get home after 6 o’clock at night,” he said.

“In relation to the potholes, our maintenance bills have increased rapidly. We are seeing fewer people travelling on our buses, we are seeing an increase in piracy. So we need a meeting and we are again urging the ministry to meet with us to have these matters resolved.”

Raphael’s complaints come almost three months after the AOPT signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Future of Public Transportation with Government and other stakeholders to foster greater collaboration and improve and transform the public transportation sector.

The agreement, which was signed towards the end of October, establishes a framework for collaboration among the Government and stakeholders to provide safe, affordable, reliable and efficient transport services and infrastructure on the island.

Haynes told Barbados TODAY that while authorities often call on PSV operators to “do what is right”, it was also necessary for the Government to “move with alacrity when it comes to maintenance of the roads”.

He further complained that the damage potholes were causing to vehicles was becoming “a humbug and financial burden” for owners and operators.

“We have to play our part and the Government has to play its part. Therefore, for road maintenance there should be a rapid response team whose remit it is to ensure they go on these routes and make sure all these potholes are filled to avert accidents,” suggested Haynes who said one of the latest cases was of a tyre “breaking off” a van when the vehicle dropped into a water-filled pothole.

He also recommended that the ministry review the process involved in making a claim for damages, saying it was too cumbersome and took a long time.

The AOPT official also called for “a national engagement in respect of the PSV sector”.

“If we want this thing to be right, to be fair and to be equitable, we have to meet with these bodies on a regular basis. We are calling for a national symposium to be held with the representative bodies [where] we can brainstorm, hold deliberations and see the way forward,” said Haynes.

Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw has acknowledged the need to address the lingering concerns and for regular meetings with representatives of the transportation sector.

She told a recent media conference that the Government would be scheduling meetings over the next two months.

“We will facilitate those meetings in the course of this month and next month. So they can be assured that the meetings will come in due course,” said Bradshaw, who is also Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources.

Pointing to some of the vexing issues, including the many potholes on the island’s roads, she gave the assurance that work was ongoing to address the problems but acknowledged there had been a slowdown in those efforts due to several factors, including bad weather.

“So, it is not that the Ministry is trying to increase the cost for the road users by not filling potholes, but the truth is that sometimes we go and fill them and the rain comes down the next day or two [and] the hole is opened back up again,” she explained.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb