Constitution River Terminal’s five-minute rule relaxed

A sense of normalcy has returned to the Constitution River Terminal (CRT), 48 hours after a rule instituted by the Transport Authority threatened to create chaos.

On Wednesday, the Transport Authority introduced a system at the CRT whereby public service vehicle (PSV) operators were given just five minutes to load their vehicles.

However, when a team from Barbados TODAY visited the CRT this afternoon, PSV operators were in a much better mood following a decision by the Transport Authority to relax the new rule which had angered drivers and conductors, when it was introduced.

The PSV operators claimed it was unfair they were being forced to leave the terminal at times with two or three passengers due to the short waiting time. This, they said, would significantly impact on their ability to make money.

Public relations officer of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Mark Haynes later indicated that following a meeting with chairman of the Transport Authority Ian Estwick, they are now schedule to meet next week for a discussion on the issue.

However, several drivers told Barbados TODAY the rule was not being enforced and they were being given an extended time to load passengers.

“The police officers and the Transport Authority officials are not giving us as hard a time as they were giving us the other day [Wednesday]. They are giving us some additional time to get passengers so we are very grateful for that,” said one driver who opted not to disclose his name.

A conductor revealed that on the day the rule was introduced he had collected less than 200 passengers, despite working from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“That was the least amount of people I have ever picked up in my life working a whole day. That aint no money at all,” he contended.

“I was actually contemplating staying home if it didn’t get change because it wasn’t making no sense to come work and work so hard for a whole day and at the end of the day ya can’t even take home $100.”

A longtime driver told Barbados TODAY that PSV operators only wanted to be treated fairly.

He said the new rule had placed them at a serious disadvantage and was not necessary.

“We understand there aren’t enough loading bays and the Transport Authority didn’t want a situation where a ZR or minibus stayed in the loading bay for too long, but this was not the way to go about doing things.

“They are giving us a little more time now and look how smoothly things are running. All PSV operators want is a level playing field where we can support our families and ourselves,” he maintained. randybennett@barbadostoday.bb