AOPT says PSV operators frustrated at not getting permits to join TAP

A group of public service vehicle (PSV) owners has threatened to operate their vans as pirates in response to their failure to obtain permits from transport authorities.

Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael says that between 15 to 20 members who have either invested in or are in the process of investing in vehicles are upset at being “shut out” from participating in the Transport Augmentation Programme (TAP), the initiative in which PSVs are sub-contracted to operate under the rules and regulations of the state-owned Transport Board.

“I have a couple of guys in my organisation that are complaining to me every day that they can’t get permits…they have vehicles, and they can’t get permits in order for them to go on the road legally.

“Some of them threatened to become pirates on the road because some people would have invested their money, and applied to the Transport Authority to get their permits, and unfortunately, they can’t get a permit and that is creating an issue for some of our members,” Raphael disclosed to Barbados TODAY in an interview.

He queried why PSV operators who wanted to get into the TAP programme were not getting permits.

“We have situations where the Government knows that they issued Transport Board 150 permits to go towards the TAP programme. We were informed that 20 of the permits were taken up. There are people who dropped out of the TAP programme and some people waiting to get into the TAP programme. We made several requests…we approached the chairman of the Transport Board, asked him for an invitation so we could sit with him to find out what is the issue as it relates to the TAP,” Raphael stated.

The AOPT spokesman said that while the programme is under review, his members’ inability to make a legitimate livelihood is on pause.

“It’s been about six months now they [transport officials] were to meet and discuss the whole question of the TAP progamme. We would like to find out where they are. I would say about 15 to 20 of our members have already purchased or are seeking to purchase vehicles to get into the programme,” he reported.

Raphael pointed out that on some routes, commuters were still unable to get a bus after 6 p.m., which was all the more reason that additional PSVs be given the green light to participate in the TAP programme.

In its defence, the Transport Authority (TA) stressed that every applicant has to be thoroughly scrutinised to determine their eligibility and several are rejected.

Director Ruth Holder told Barbados TODAY that there was a Cabinet-determined permit quota for PSVs, and although she was not in a position to specify that number, she said the allocation of permits for ZRs and minibuses had already been reached.

“Interviews are conducted by a committee of the board of the Transport Authority. That committee makes a determination as to who is best fit to get permits. There are a very, very limited amount of permits available. What we try to do is to filter out to determine who is the best fit,” Holder said.

“Everybody who presents a business plan wouldn’t be granted a permit. It’s the same if you go to the bank. If you go to the bank and you want a mortgage, they determine that based on your salary, expenses and so on that they can’t give you a mortgage. We [also] have check boxes that we need to tick in order to make that determination. So if anybody feels aggrieved that they didn’t get a permit and they want to do something that is illegal, I can’t make the determination for what they will or will not do…and I can’t encourage anybody in any illegal activity because they didn’t get their own way in achieving what they wanted.”

Providing the criteria for the granting of permits, Holder said it depended on the category of PSV.

“And you would appreciate that there are several PSVs out there on the road, and you know the behaviour pattern. You all see it every day, so you all know what is existing out there. How many more of those do you want to put on the road without scrutinising or doing your due diligence on the people that you are seeing out there on the road or the ones that are making applications?

“It is not easy for us. We get on average about 222 applications per month for public service vehicles. So it’s not an easy thing to filter; it is not an easy process. So you can’t cherry-pick and say you are going to give to this and you are going to give to that. And the very ones who are complaining are the same ones who are saying how difficult it is out there, how they are suffering, how they are not making any money. Why are they applying?” Holder asked.

The Transport Authority director noted that giving permits to “for hire” vehicles was a much easier undertaking.

“We approve about 75 to 80 per cent of them. We don’t have any ZR or B permits available. So for the Z and ZMs, you go through the process. Some afternoons you interview eight people and out of eight people, you have five good ones. Some afternoons you interview the same eight [in number] and you say ‘it was a rough evening’; you don’t even approve one. So it is based on the applications you get,” she explained.

Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the Transport Board Lynda Holder said the programme, which is managed by the Board, has “fundamental entry requirements”.

“Before any prospective entrant gets to us here at the Board, they need to be approved by the TA. That relates to permits and new entrants. As it relates to the programme, it is still functioning,” she told Barbados TODAY.

On the question of the TAP being under review, Holder contended that “like any other process, reviews are always being done to seek improvements”.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb