Transit dispute looms as owners allege favouritism

rouble is brewing in the public transport sector with private owners threatening protest action against the State-run bus company, claiming unfair allocation under their route-sharing arrangement.

The Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) has alleged that some Transport Board supervisors have shown favouritism to some privately-owned buses participating in the Transport Augmentation Programme (TAP).

“Some operators believe that there is some kind of favouritism within the programme where some supervisors would use their initiative by giving lucrative routes to some persons. If they don’t resolve this matter within a couple of days, I think we might have to look at some kind of protest action,” AOPT chairman Roy Raphael told Barbados TODAY, though adding that he believed the matter is one that could be resolved.

The AOPT represents owners of ZRs, mini buses, taxis, and other private service vehicles (PSVs).

Raphael said the organisation had requested a transport coordinator to oversee route allocation impartially when the TAP proposal went to Cabinet. He called for a review of the two-and-a-half-year-old programme, claiming some operators only work at certain terminals and cannot access all routes.

But, pushing back against the accusations, Transport Board Chief Operations Officer Lynda Holder said management meets regularly with TAP members to discuss adjustments, and a full review meeting was planned.

“The management of the Transport Board continues to meet periodically with the members of the programme and in those meetings, any adjustments to the programme are discussed,” she said.

“It was agreed that at a date to be finalised, we will have a full meeting and discuss any issues that had not been resolved previously in our regular meetings. To indicate that a review meeting has not happened would be incorrect, as adjustments have been made since the programme commenced that were done via meetings.”

Holder also challenged Raphael to provide evidence of supervisors showing favouritism, insisting that all routes should be shared equitably across lucrative and less profitable runs.

“If Mr Raphael has evidence of this practice he has not shared it with us,” she said. “However, if the practice does exist, the Board will work to correct any issues relating to favouritism as the programme is meant to operate as any other Transport Board-operated bus functions.

“All routes are considered important and it is acknowledged that some will have more ridership than others. The routes are to be shared equitably so that everyone gets some not-so-lucrative and some lucrative routes.”

She also denied knowledge of any proposal for the AOPT to have a transport coordinator overseeing route allocation.

“The management is unaware of any proposal for AOPT to have a transport coordinator in the TAP programme and will not approve such without discussion with all parties,” the Transport Board manager said. “If the reason advanced above is the genesis of this proposal, then as was indicated, the allegation will need to be proven before it can be used as a rationale for any action.”

Holder also said the Transport Board was officially notified of two associations representing TAP operators and the AOPT was not one of them.

“If they have now added AOPT as a representative, this was not communicated to us and will mean that there are three associations in the programme. As such, it would not be just to have a representative as a coordinator from the most recently added association and ignore the other associations. That could be seen as discrimination,” she cautioned.

Raphael has insisted that as TAP has evolved, some operators have been unfairly disadvantaged.

“We want to have a meeting with the Transport Board to review the whole question of TAP… We believe that all of the operators should be able to work on all of the routes,” he said.

“There are some TAP operators who only work at the Cheapside Terminal and some who only work at the Fairchild Street Terminal. If we are supplying a service to the Transport Board, we basically want to work all of the routes.

The AOPT chair also raised concerns about several operators dropping out of TAP, with some not working after 8 p.m. despite the scheme’s intention to provide supplemental service during early morning school runs.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb