‘Unauthorized taxis plying ZR routes illegally’

Operators of privately-owned public service vehicle (PSV) say taxis are becoming a major headache for them on several routes across the island.

The main body representing a chunk of PSV owners and operators is reporting an increase in pirate operators on some routes.

Commuter Complaints Officer with the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Craig Banfield told Barbados TODAY that vehicles with ZM and Z licence plates were not only dipping into the meagre profits of authorised ZR operators on the affected routes, but the association was concerned about commuters’ safety and the potential for violence.

“We have been getting some complaints from the legal operators [that] they are not happy that the pirates are on their routes. We don’t want a situation whereby there is conflict between the pirates and those that are legally authorised to operate on the particular routes,” he said.

“We are a little bit concerned. From the perspective of insurance, if commuters travel on these vehicles that are not allocated for the purpose that the Transport Authority has them allocated for, you are going to have problems in the event of accidents, whereby insurance companies are not going to want to honour the claim. So, it is pretty much a concern for us all around as an association.”

Banfield was unable to provide figures but insisted that since the beginning of the year, “we have received a decrease in the number of complaints towards public service vehicle operators. On the other hand, we now have an increase in the number of ZMs, Zs and private cars who are now using the roads as pirates, where they are actually picking up persons from bus stops”.

He said the routes most affected included Bayfield, College Savannah and the ABC Highway.

Banfield said discussions have already taken place with the Transport Authority and other stakeholders on the matter, but they are looking forward to have further discussions in the coming weeks “in the hope that this problem can be alleviated or reduced to a level which would be non-existent”.

On Thursday, a video recorded by a bystander showed a ZM van, also known as a maxi taxi, stopping at a corner, a stone’s throw away from a bus stop, to allow a passenger to disembark, before driving past the bus stop to pick up another passenger.

Banfield said if ZM operators wanted to operate like ZRs or Transport Board buses, they should apply to the Transport Authority for a licence to enter the Transport Augmentation Programme.

He also chastised commuters for encouraging such behaviour, saying they should take “a small percentage” of the blame for getting into vehicles that were not assigned to those routes.

He warned that they should take into account the risks.

“So, we are pleading with commuters to please be conscious of the fact that they should not take these pirate vehicles. There are various dangers that can occur. We encourage them to stick to the ZMs and minibuses that are assigned to the routes,” Banfield advised.

While not ruling out the possibility of the COVID-19 pandemic contributing to the menacing issue, the AOPT official said pirate vehicles were operating on the routes identified because “the chances of running into a police or authorities from the MTW [Ministry of Transport and Works] might be slimmer compared to shorter routes”.

“Commuters, on the other hand, might say they want to get home or to work and the vans might not be consistent as they want them to be. But Government has, with the new electric buses through the Transport Board, seen an increase on those longer routes, so it is not that the commuters have to wait for that long of a time,” Banfield said.

During a Small Business Association function recently, Minister of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Kerrie Symmonds hinted at legislation that would make way for a new model for taxi operators, allowing them to legally operate on any route and pick up more than one unrelated passenger at a time. He did not give a timeline.

Meantime, Banfield also told Barbados TODAY that the AOPT was receiving a number of complaints from residents in the Eden Lodge area that they were unable to get a van or bus to the area after 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“So, they have to get off in other areas – they would use the Jackson route, for example, and walk in, or other routes to get into the Eden Lodge area – which safety-wise is what we are really concerned about,” he said.

He said AOPT was scheduled to meet with residents soon, following which they would meet with transport authorities “to see what we can come up with in terms of a better operating system”. (marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)