Private operators to drive transit system – Minister

The days of Government continuing to heavily subsidize public transportation in Barbados are coming to an end.

That is according to Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources, Ian Gooding-Edghill, who today admitted Government could no longer carry that burden and would look to private operators to be largely responsible for transporting commuters across the island.

However, the minister gave the assurance it would not result in job losses for persons working at the Transport Board.

His comments came following a suggestion by Opposition Leader, Reverend Joseph Atherley that the time had come for the State to move out of providing commercial public transport and to become a regulator and facilitator of capital.

“We need to move away from the old model or the existing model of providing public transport services for the public of Barbados. We have a model in which the State subsidizes the operation of public transport vehicles to move the commuting public from point A to point B every day for several hours every day with some input from private operators.

“Dissuade me from the view that we need to see the State remove itself from providing public transport on a commercial basis, leaving that to private operators with the State providing a serious and significant regulatory function, in addition to the provision of the social service element of public transport,” Atherley suggested.

In his response during the 2021/2022 Estimates debate this afternoon where it was revealed his ministry would be allotted $110,164, 376 for the financial year starting April 1, Gooding-Edghill agreed that such a transition was required.

“The Government of Barbados continues to carry a substantial investment in public transport; the investment in electric vehicles plus the ongoing annual subsidy. Now the Government cannot continue to carry such a load and this is not a plan that will see persons being dislodged or being placed in a position of unemployment, that’s certainly not the plan, not at all.

“But what it does do is it will help enfranchise those workers who are working in public transport, who want to stay in public transport, by incentivizing those persons in such a way that the benefits will redound to them and exclusively to them and that they would have a right as a player in public transport to see the benefits of their labour and that is going to be factored in,” Gooding-Edghill told the Standing Finance Committee.

“The plan obviously that we have, we have to have discussions with all the partners involved. We have to discuss it with the unions, with all of the private operators and we’re going to do that and at that point when we commence discussions other plans will be announced.

“But certainly the plan that we envisage for public transport will not realize or see any persons being displaced in terms of unemployment. It will be a wholesome plan, but at the end of the day, the plan will result in the Government being freed up from carrying the substantial load that they currently carry. That money that we are currently losing could be used to help build out our infrastructure and to help pay for other social services that we need in Barbados.”

The minister revealed that among the plans was the establishment of a Mass Transit Authority.

He said the Transport Augmentation Programme [TAP] was a good example of a public-private partnership initiative.

“The Government of Barbados has commenced a programme looking and reviewing the whole concept of a Mass Transit Authority. The public transport sector in Barbados is worth in excess of $200 million and people do not stay in business if they are not making money.

“The TAP has proven to be a great enabler and contributor for the Transport Board in terms of allowing the Transport Board to increase its carrying capacity and that is going well with the 12.5 per cent fee they are paying to the Transport Board,” the minister explained.

(randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)