PSV Operators and Transport Officials to Meet for Resolution of Grievances

PSV operators put brakes on industrial action as transport officials agree to meet

By Emmanuel Joseph

Industrial action planned for Friday by public service vehicle operators has been averted, at least for now.

Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael disclosed on Tuesday that transport officials have agreed to meet with the 300-member body on Wednesday to seek a resolution to a list of grievances.

Last week, Raphael told Barbados TODAY that if the Transport Authority, which he accused of refusing to as much as acknowledge the AOPT’s correspondence for a meeting, did not respond by Friday, the association would take whatever action deemed necessary.

However, he disclosed on Tuesday that the officials had since reached out to the body, which represents route taxis, minibuses, taxis, hired cars and coaches, and agreed to meet.

“We have been promised a meeting by the ministry. We are expected to meet with them sometime tomorrow. The association’s executive had a meeting yesterday, and we want to advise members of the public that whatever action was to be taken by the association is off, at least pending the outcome of talks with the ministry,” the AOPT head said.

“We want to thank all the persons who came together to ensure that the public is not disadvantaged because of the planned action that would have had significant impact on the travelling public. We will update the public on the matter, and all indications are that the stakeholders will meet to have any issues that are on the table resolved,” he added.

Raphael said the burning issues to be resolved include pirates on the roads, complaints against PSV operators and permits to ply the St Andrew route as well as those that are not serviced by the state-owned Transport Board after 6 p.m.

“We are still awaiting the decision of the ministry as far as the St Andrew folks are concerned. I know that one or two of our buses are already transferred there. There are a number of other people who are still waiting on permits to operate St Andrew. We will be working very closely with them…[on] not only St Andrew, but the various routes that the government does not ply after 6 o’clock,” the PSV sector spokesman said.

He listed the routes as Bush Hall, Howells Cross Road, Rendezvous Gardens, Forde’s Road and Eden Lodge.

“We are going to be having discussions with the ministry, hopefully on the matter. The challenge is after 6 o’clock in the evening. The people cannot get home, and we continue to get a lot of complaints from those routes that I have called…because they have to catch a number 11 or number 10 (PSV) bus in order to get home,” Raphael reported.

“We have a lot of older folks on [those] routes. So, we will make some suggestions to the Transport Board that they should, at least after 6 o’clock until 12 o’clock, see if they can ply the route or give us permission to do so using our TAP [Transport Augmentation Programme] services.”

The TAP allows some privately owned buses to work under the guidance and management of the Transport Board.

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