The planned relocation of the privately-owned Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) which ply the northern routes has been put on hold.
Director of the Barbados Transport Authority (BTA) Ruth Holder disclosed on Monday evening that unfavourable weather conditions had put a spanner in the works, bringing a temporary halt to preparations to move the PSVs to the Speightstown Bus Terminal from nearby streets on Tuesday.
“Some of the work that we wanted to do we couldn’t get it done. So we will push through it during the course of the week and by [next] Monday we should be in a better position. Let’s assume that the rain is going to hold up,” Holder told Barbados TODAY.
“It was some work that we had to do on the tarmac, some overlay of asphalt, and we weren’t able to do that because of the rain. So hopefully we will get it done during the course of this week and by next Monday we should be in a position to move in full force,” the Transport Authority head added.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael said the leadership of his organisation plans to meet shortly with Holder to discuss concerns regarding the relocation.
He said when officials of the AOPT looked at the area where the privately-owned buses are to be accommodated, there was not enough space for all the PSVs that ply that northern route.
“Why over there and not on the eastern side of the terminal, because it is more room over there and they are just adjacent across from where they were parking? It is just that they are now confined in an area with the Transport Board,” he told Barbados TODAY.
The PSV sector leader also expressed concern about the toilet facilities in the bus terminal.
“Our operators are being asked to go and operate from the western side of the terminal, more so than the eastern side. We would like to see them operate more on the eastern side because we believe there would be more space. And then there is the question of the bathrooms facilities. There are going to be more people now going into the terminal,” Raphael said.
“We would have looked at the bathrooms while we were there on Monday and we realise there are not enough bathrooms to facilitate those operators who are coming in because the operators have to share the bathrooms with the general public.
“We don’t want to create any issues in going in there, but we are going to be meeting with the operators very shortly and we are going to be asking them for a discussion with the Transport Authority going forward,” he added.
Despite the concerns, Raphael had some commendations for the Transport Authority regarding the implementation of certain COVID-19 measures that would affect his members.
“…. Having the vehicles sanitised in the terminals is a very good idea,” he said.
Chairman of the Association of Public Transport Operators (APTO) Kenneth Best said he would comment on the relocation of his members when the plan is actually implemented.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
