PSVs to minister: Work with us to make public transport better

The island’s public service vehicle (PSV) operators are urging new Minister of Transport, Works and Infrastructure Kirk Humphrey to work closely with them if he hopes to achieve his public transport policy goals.

 

While welcoming Humphrey into the job following Monday’s inauguration of the new Cabinet, Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT), Roy Raphael, identified what the stakeholders believe should be his main priority for the PSV industry. 

 

The minister needs to examine public transport as a priority and make the publicly owned Transport Board and the Transport Authority “more accessible”, Raphael said, adding that it cannot be left only to the bus company and the regulator. 

 

Raphael, who is due to be re-elected unopposed as AOPT chair on Sunday, told Barbados TODAY that the government must engage PSV operators, to make public transport a priority for commuters.

 

The owners no longer want to hear people complaining that they cannot get home after six o’clock or that they must wait for two hours when there are 1 200 PSVs on the road that simply have a route, said Raphael.

 

The PSV spokesman again called for a working committee so that the government can bring together all interests to better understand the plight of the travelling public and to determine how policymakers can help remove some of the cars from the roads.

 

Raphael noted that there are situations where people get to work late and some receive warnings because of traffic congestion. Even when persons leave home at 7:30, they still get to work at 8:30 or nine o’clock, he said, insisting that these should be among the government’s first priorities. He reasoned that with more cars on the road, it is more difficult for PSV operators to manoeuvre during rush hours.

 

Despite the challenges, Raphael sought to give an assurance to Humphrey of the industry’s support, saying the PSV owners were looking forward to meeting and working with him. 

 

Raphael acknowledged that the task ahead would not be easy but suggested that the journey could be smooth once the targets are well received and there is genuine collaboration with private sector organisations such as the AOPT.

 

He suggested that the new minister might have a lot of work to do regarding the way forward, noting that he would have heard during the election campaign some of the residents’ complaints, including calls for improved bus service to areas such as Eden Lodge. 

 

As infrastructure and roads minister, Humphrey may also wish to address road conditions across the country, said the PSV leader, but he added that as the prime minister had identified roads as one of her administration’s priorities, transport should likewise be a central focus.

 

Raphael reiterated previous recommendations to ease traffic congestion through the introduction of park-and-ride hubs, a ferry service, greater use of minor roads, reopening of one-way streets, and the introduction of toll payments on key routes into Bridgetown for private vehicles.

 

He emphasised that the work for the minister has now started and that it will not be an easy task, but with all hands on deck, the process could be smooth. 

 

Raphael also took the opportunity to thank former Minister of Transport Santia Bradshaw, noting that she worked well with the sector and contributed to road developments and ideas to make public transport more efficient — initiatives he said must be continued.

(EJ)