AOPT urges PSV operators to step up security

Head of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael is calling on all privately-owned public service vehicle (PSV) operators to install cameras in their vehicles, as he announced that the association was about to embark on a plan to implement a tracking system for members to help ensure safety. This comes in light of the recent highly-publicised attempted robbery of PSV operator Marlon Tempro, who was able to escape his would-be robbers after being held at gunpoint in his vehicle. His vehicle had a camera, which the robbers seemed unaware of at the time. Raphael’s call also comes as officials in the industry and residents urge authorities to move with haste in putting measures in place and enforcing regulations in an effort to put the brakes on lingering issues that have been plaguing the industry for decades. [caption id="attachment_388445" align="alignnone" width="650"] AOPT Chairman Roy Raphael.[/caption] Speaking on the Sunday edition of the radio call-in programme Down to Brasstacks, Raphael again indicated that his association would be pressing ahead with plans to put a cashless system in place. He said by the end of this week he should be meeting with officials from a local organisation on the rollout of that plan. “We are encouraging our members to place cameras onboard all of their vehicles,” said Raphael. “We are also in discussions with another company [to] set up a mass transit system where we can actually have someone monitoring you while you are on the van. Therefore, you have your GPS and camera and we can actually see where the van goes and we monitor you. So in case we see something suspicious happening we can inform the police on this matter,” he said. With two weeks to go before the climax of the Crop Over festival, Raphael suggested that anxiety was heightened among ZR and taxi operators. As such, he said as part of a wider campaign on safety among PSV and taxi operators, he would be seeking a meeting with the Barbados Police Service so they could provide members with safety tips. In addition to safety, industry operators say they are concerned about the saturation of PSVs on some routes and the lack of a limit on the number of PSV permits that can be issued to one person; loud and lewd music; slow driving (dragging); pirate drivers; high insurance costs; fees associated with the transfer of a commercial vehicle to a new owner and lack of duty-free concession for electric buses for the sector. [caption id="attachment_346758" align="alignnone" width="650"] Craig Banfield, Director of Legal Affairs and Complaints with the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT).[/caption] Meanwhile, some Barbadians are calling on authorities to enforce the wearing of uniforms by PSV drivers and conductors, take action to stamp out cursing and implement measures for the PSV owners to take more responsibility for what goes on with their vehicles on the road. Craig Banfield, Director of Legal Affairs and Complaints with the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT), said regulators of the industry were aware of the issues and it was simply time for action to clean up the image of the industry. “We have a lot of work to do. Recently the Government [went] ahead and made changes to legislation and I think we are still waiting for that to come into reality,” he said. “I hope that we can all come on board as one going forward to see if we can come to some sort of compromise in terms of trying to get the industry the way it needs to be,” said Banfield. In April of this year, lawmakers introduced changes to sections of the Transport Authority Act, making provision for the Transport Authority to be the entity responsible for issuing, suspending and cancelling licences, permits and badges of drivers and conductors of PSVs, motor omnibuses, minibuses and route taxis. “Unfortunately, our organisation does not have any teeth so by extension, a lot of the time our ideas are left on the table and not implemented. In order for transportation in general to actually be effective and efficient we have to have all the players coming on board . . . we have to have a comprehensive approach whereby all the stakeholders – police, insurance companies, the association – everybody has to come together to get these problems that have been lingering for over 40 years, to come to a realisation,” he said. In relation to the planned cashless system, Banfield admitted that it will not be an easy task since this will require a change in mindset.  “So I can see down the road this will probably be a two-tiered [system] when the cashless system comes into play – not everybody is going to jump on board and it is going to take some time before it actually gets to that point,” he predicted. During the discussions, officials also called for more buses to be placed on the ABC routes, as they pointed to increasing demand for public transportation along those routes. ZRs, also known as maxi taxis, are said to control about 80 per cent of the public transport market, with an estimated 800 active drivers. It is estimated that just over 30, 000 commuters use the services of PSVs daily. The overall active number of routed PSVs is estimated at about 1,700. (marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)]]>