AOPT wants authorities to investigate the lack of transport options in some areas

Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael wants the Transport Authority to conduct a much-needed feasibility study in order to better understand and service a number of under-served routes on the island.

Raphael who spoke to Barbados TODAY ahead of the start of the new school year next week and an anticipated increase in passenger traffic, said that unfortunately, there are still several routes around the island which after five or six o’ clock on evenings, see little to no service from Transport Board Buses or private PSVs (Public Service Vehicles).

“Rather than having all of your eggs in one basket, they need to do a feasibility study to really look at the whole question of public transport in Barbados,” Raphael suggested. “We have situations where buses start at five o’ clock in the morning and finish at six o’ clock in the evening… Barbados does not stop at six, Barbados continues until late hours.

“Why is it that we can’t have our buses terminate after six o’ clock but yet you are having pirates being able to fill the void… A study needs to be done, or route rationalisation, to ensure that everybody is able to work a reasonable time on these routes,” he said.

Raphael lamented that though select routes on the island seem to be well serviced, such as the Speightstown, Jackson, and Bush Hall routes, others such as Rendezvous Garden, the Ivy, and Fordes Road are grossly underserviced, with not even buses from the Transport Board running after certain hours.

The AOPT chairman also raised concerns about the number of road signs scattered around the country which have gone into a state of disrepair, stating “These are areas that we would have addressed with the ministry before. There are some stop signs, for example, that you cannot tell if it’s a stop or go sign, because these signs have not been replaced for a very long time. There are some bus stops where the elements have caused [significant] damage to them.

“The ministry needs to send out a team and see what is happening out there. Some road signs and village signs for example, we can’t understand them. Some of them turned upside down.”

shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb