Government and players in the island’s transportation sector have agreed on a path forward that will see more regulations coming to the industry.
This was revealed during a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Compact signing for the Future of Public Transportation in Barbados between Government entities and several private organisations representing public service vehicle (PSV) owners and operators.
Speaking at the event which took place at the Barbados Water Authority’s Pine, St Michael, headquarters on Friday morning, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources Santia Bradshaw said Government had met with the players and ironed out some of the “teething issues”.
She said areas such as the establishment of a Mass Transit Authority and making public transport more efficient were addressed in the Compact.
Bradshaw admitted though that while several of those issues were in the Compact there were others still outstanding that would be discussed further.
She said these included the call for duty-free concessions for PSVs.
“Having identified the issues we now have to make sure that we have collaborative efforts from the stakeholders, that people are working together, that people are working together with a common purpose.
“The MOU identifies the various areas, rules and responsibilities of stakeholders. It places certain responsibilities on Government to make sure that you have the tools to be able to work with to give effect to the objectives of the MOU, but it also requires discussions in an amicable way for the most part from the stakeholders as well as your contributions to be able to move the objectives forward,” Bradshaw said.
The Minister promised that tougher regulations were coming to govern the sector.
She said the behaviour of PSV operators would be placed under the microscope.
Communications, information and marketing officer of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Mark Haynes, who spoke on behalf of the private transport organisations, lauded the Government for its effort in listening to them and addressing their grievances.
He described the MOU signing as a “significant” event.
“I see this as a developmental stage, a new stage. This is a new direction in which we are going to ensure that Barbados’ transport sector is controlled, it is managed, it now can be seen as something that is transformational,” Haynes said.
“We are heartened and I am particularly glad that the Government of Barbados has undertaken to take us seriously, where the Government has taken us on board and brought all of the stakeholders. No one has been left out.”
Chairman of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) Geoffrey Roach also commended the initiative.
He said research had shown that visitors to the island were utilising public transport more often.
Roach said improvements to the sector would benefit both locals and tourists alike.
“I know that many times the consideration when it comes to tourism is on the visitor and I think that when we look at the transportation sector in Barbados, the impact obviously affects both visitors and the teams who work in the tourism sector.
“Having a sector that is . . . well-regulated with improvements to the sector in the way it operates will certainly help to improve the experience for both our team members and our visitors,” Roach said.
(randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)
