PSV wait due to route saturation

The long wait for persons looking to license Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) could be attributed to a “massive” distribution of permits prior to 2018.

Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw said there was a “free-for-all” in the issuance of permits in the January to May period before the 2018 General Elections when over 1,000 permits were issued and Director of the Transport Authority Ruth Holder said this had created several issues within the sector including an over-saturation of certain routes.

“Prior to 2018, there was a massive distribution of permits to the point where I don’t believe that there was any specific method in which the determination was made to distribute the permits. I don’t think there was any scientific study to determine which route we should put the permits on, and what we’re seeing now is that we have an over-saturation on particular routes,” she said.

Speaking from the well of the Lower House during the Estimates debate, she outlined for example that the Speightstown to Bridgetown and Bridgetown to Silver Sands routes in particular are heavily serviced by PSVs.

“If you go down to Speightstown, you’ll probably encounter maybe 99 vehicles in that particular area alone. If you come from the Bridgetown to the Oistins area, you get another 120 on that route, you get a little diverging when you go to Sam Lord’s Castle or Silver Sands or Fairy Valley. So there was no particular way in which the rules were distributed and what we have now is the over-saturation of routes, and we are also at the maximum capacity on those routes,” Holder added.

“Therefore, your constituents who are applying or who wish to apply, who have been denied permits, especially for route taxis and maxi taxis, it is not because we at the Transport Authority, cherry pick who we want to give them to. It’s just we don’t have any more in those categories,” she said. She said the maximum limit for taxis will soon be reached as well.

Minister Bradshaw and Holder were responding to questions from government backbencher Marsha Caddle on the length of time it takes to receive a permit.

The director also pointed out that Cabinet, and not the Transport Authority, is responsible for determining the base of how many licences can be issued in the minibus, route taxi, taxi and tour bus categories. (JB)