PSVs still pleading for Gov’t help

Though welcoming news that the curfew could soon be shifted to as late as midnight from 9 p.m., head of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael is again pleading with Government to come to the rescue of privately-owned public service vehicle (PSV) operators.

Raphael, Chairman of the AOPT, told Barbados TODAY several public service vehicle operators were now on the verge of losing their vehicles while others could lose their homes due to a continued decline in ridership.

He was unable to say exactly what the decline was, but attributed it to a number of factors including the current curfew, the number of people in isolation, people working from home, school being held online and illegal operators plying some routes.

The more than 800 registered PSV operators are allowed to operate at a maximum of 60 per cent capacity, but Raphael indicated that many of them were not even seeing that throughout the day.

“We have seen a really rapid decline,” he said. “Our numbers are so down that the PSV operators and owners are basically trying to keep their head above the water just to survive”.

Raphael, who has made numerous calls for government assistance over the past several months, said he was pleading with Government to step in now since the situation was dire.

“The PSV industry continues to see a decline in numbers but we are still seeing high gas prices, high insurance and high maintenance. I understand we are in a pandemic but I believe that in fairness to the industry, Government through the Ministry of Transport and Works and the Ministry of Commerce, should come together and speak to us to see how best they could offer incentives and concessions so that we can survive.

“At this stage, I am seeing a number of our members dropping out and placing their vehicles on hold hoping to see the country fully reopened. A lot of our members are behind in making payments, not only ZRs and minibus operators, but also the taxis,” he said, pointing out that moratoriums have now largely come to an end.

“My appeal to government is, help us keep our heads above the water. We hear about loans being given to Government to assist with the pandemic, we are in the pandemic as well,” he said.

Raphael said it was about time the curfew was scrapped or shifted to midnight, saying this was one of the biggest challenges for the sector.

“I am looking forward to government extending the curfew to at least 12 o’clock so that we can have our PSVs being able to go to the gas station to fill up in the evening. . . Now we have to come off the road early, around 5 and 6 o’clock so that we can get accommodation at the gas stations,” he explained.

Insisting on the need for government to include the PSV industry in some discussions, Raphael expressed concern that there were talks of introducing ‘safe zones’ and he was yet to hear what considerations were being given to the transportation industry.

He said while there have been some interactions with the Minister of Transport and the officials from the Transport Authority, the relationship needed to go beyond that and include the PSV sector at the discussion table.

“The private sector association has discussions with government, the Chamber of Commerce has discussions with government, and the unions have discussions with government. We should be part of the private sector to have discussions with government. We bring labour to capital – we bring people to work to ensure all these businesses survive – so I don’t know why often we are left out and often we hear about things on the radio,” said Raphael.

“Even discussions on safe zones are important for us as well because our sector moves about 80 per cent of the travelling public,” he said.

Lauding PSV operators for trying their best to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols, Raphael pointed out that there were still some pockets of commuters who were refusing to adhere to the measures by not wearing a mask while on public transportation.

“I am appealing to members of the public to cooperate by ensuring your mask is on and is being worn the correct way,” he said. (MM)