Thorne: DLP will restore Transport Board if govt sells

Leader of the Opposition Ralph Thorne on Monday vowed that a future Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration would re-nationalise the Transport Board if the Mia Mottley administration proceeds with plans to dismantle or privatise it, accusing the government of undermining a vital social service.

Thorne was speaking during a DLP press conference on Monday, held against the backdrop of growing public concern over the government’s intention to move ahead with changes to the state-owned bus company.

“We think that it is wrong for government to dismantle a social service,” Thorne told reporters. “We believe in the Democratic Labour Party that government in this country has a responsibility to provide certain social services. The Transport Board is one of them, housing is another one, education is another one [and] health is another one.”

He argued that such services should not be judged solely on their financial performance, stressing that public transport plays a critical role in ensuring mobility and access for thousands of Barbadians, particularly those living in rural communities.

“We believe that those social services are sacred,” he said. “We believe that the Transport Board, having been incorporated from 1955, 70 years old, that in the 70th year it should be growing as a social service.”

According to Thorne, rather than divesting or dismantling the Transport Board, the government should be expanding its reach to underserved areas. He suggested that buses could be deployed to routes where residents currently struggle to access transportation.

“If the government dismantles it, this Democratic Labour Party is going to reopen the Transport Board because it is an essential service to the commuters of this country who live in far-flung areas of Barbados,” he said. “They cannot reach their destinations and cannot be called upon to reach destinations by Uber [ride-sharing service] or by any other expensive taxi service.”

Thorne also took issue with the government’s recent acquisition of 35 electric buses from China, questioning how these would be integrated into a divested or partially privatised system.

“This government just received 35 electric buses from China,” he said. “Those buses are inefficient to be passed on to the ex-drivers who they’re going to lay off because you can’t run that efficiently. You can’t make a profit.”

Reiterating the DLP’s policy stance, Thorne said the party remains firmly opposed to any closure of the Transport Board.

“It is this party’s policy position that the Transport Board must remain open,” he stated. “And if they close it, this Democratic Labour Party is going to reopen the Transport Board for the benefit of the people of Barbados as a social service.”

He emphasised that profitability in the context of public transport should not be narrowly defined by financial returns.

“Profit does not only relate to finance,” Thorne said. “Profit relates to the efficient movement of people to and from work and children to and from school. That is what profitability in a social service is about. It is not about the bottom line, so to speak.”