Transport Board bolsters maintenance amid electric bus rollout

The Transport Board is ramping up maintenance efforts as the state-run bus company fully transitions to renewable energy with 35 new electric buses added to its fleet, a $21m investment aimed at boosting rural services and efficiency.

Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw said the government is committed to ensuring both the longevity of the buses and the efficiency of the network, particularly in rural areas.

“I can’t guarantee you maintenance issues will not occur or recur,” Bradshaw pledged to reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday at the Bridgetown Port. “But what I can say is that we have had the experience now with the previous buses with [Chinese manufacturer] BYD, who is a major brand globally, and they’ve actually set up locations in Barbados because we were having some challenges initially when we were having the buses going through the Scotland district.”

BYD, the Chinese manufacturer supplying the buses, has established a local presence to support technical operations.

Bradshaw said the partnership has strengthened the island’s maintenance capacity and will continue to ensure the efficient deployment of the fleet.

“We’ve been able to work with BYD, which is an international global brand that has been able to help us in terms of our maintenance of these buses, and they will continue to support us in our efforts to be able to deploy these buses in the system,” she said.

Early operational difficulties included damage to windows and mirrors caused by overhanging branches, as well as general wear and tear, she said.

“We’ve since been able to address that not just by building out the road infrastructure better but also by ensuring that the maintenance programme of the BYD was strengthened,” Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw, who is also transport minister, emphasised the importance of localised support for the fleet.

She said: “By having the operation locally, it has allowed us to train up technical teams here on island, local teams as well, to work with the Chinese teams to ensure that we are able to improve the efficiency and the operations of the maintenance of the actual buses.”

Bradshaw highlighted the scale of investment in public transport and road infrastructure. “This is a huge investment.

$58m is a significant amount to put into public transportation.

But while we’ve been doing that, we’ve also been investing in our road infrastructure, and many of these buses will benefit the Scotland District.”

“In the Scotland District, we’ve been spending up to $230m to be able to develop and to improve the infrastructure of the roads in that area. To date we have about 20 roads that are completed. We have a number of other roads and bridges that we are in the process of bringing to completion as well or actually have designs completed.”

Bradshaw stressed that the government’s approach is comprehensive and long-term. “This is not an ad hoc approach that the government is taking to building our infrastructure,” she said. “Infrastructure is not just the buses, it’s our maintenance. It is making sure that the road infrastructure is properly improved so that these buses, the wear and tear of these buses, have a longer life because we improve the condition of the road infrastructure as well.”

(SZB)