New transit authority the right move – Raphael

The proposed Mass Transit Authority will be a key element in bringing stability and reliability to the transportation sector in Barbados.

This is the view of Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael, who also said the amalgamation of transportation organisations under a single umbrella authority should be a welcomed replacement to the current disjointed approach.

“Having the Mass Transit Authority in place is very critical to our livelihood going forward. It appears to me that when we look at the present legislation, there are too many government services and departments that have powers over the [PSVs] such as the police, Ministry of Transport, the Transport Authority, the Transport Board.”

His comments came in response to the recent announcement by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources, Santia Bradshaw, regarding a draft framework for the proposed Barbados Mass Transit Authority to oversee transportation on the island.

“The problem is that a lot of these people cannot be brought before the court because the Transport Authority may not have the powers to take public service vehicles to court due to the fact that they are not guided by legislation,” Raphael contended.

“That is why you see pirates running up and down without being stopped… all because people believe that it’s not their responsibility but the responsibility of another agency,” he explained.

Raphael told Barbados TODAY that the proposed cashless system, also announced by Minister Bradshaw, was forward-thinking in nature, as it would bring a new level of wider security to public transport. Education of the public however, would be critical to its success, he added.

“Having the cashless system is a good thing, but we are concerned about how Barbadians will take to the cashless system because they are used to using physical cash. Although it is a safe way to go, what we would want to see is more education for members of the public and operators to understand how important it is for such a system to be in place.”