‘Gross disrespect’

PSV body upset at being left out of decision-making on transportation ahead of storm

Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael.

By Emmanuel Joseph

One of the island’s public service vehicle (PSV) bodies is not pleased about being left out of the discussions on ending public transport service early due to the impending passage of Tropical Storm Bret.

In fact, chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael described the omission as “gross disrespect”.

In a message to the country on Thursday as residents braced for the impact of the storm, Acting Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw announced that the last bus services would leave terminals at 5 p.m.

While saying that AOPT members would honour that directive, Raphael told Barbados TODAY he was disappointed that the PSV sector continued to be left out of decisions regarding ceasing operations in times such as these.

“We are going to be guided by the Government, but I keep saying over and over and over – and I cannot continue to say

this any more – we need to have discussions when it comes to the closure of the public transport in Barbados. No

discussion was held when we should come off the road and I think, for me, it is gross disrespect because we are all in

this thing together,” he said.

“We move 90 per cent of the travelling public, while the other 10 per cent is being moved by the Transport Board. We have over 800 public service vehicles, they have close to a hundred…. It is very unfortunate that when decisions are taken, the Transport Board is sitting at the table with a very slim majority of people, when we public service operators with the largest are not part of the discussions,” Raphael contended.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Association of Public Transport Operators (APTO) Kenneth Best said operators in his organisation would be complying with the instructions.

“The Government’s protocol is that public transport comes to an end at 5 o’clock. You know the PSV people sometimes

go after to accommodate the travelling public, but if the Government says to shut down at 5 o’clock, I believe that a lot

of the PSV workers will conform. Some may stay around for people who are going to work later,” he told Barbados TODAY. 

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb