Route Taxi Driver Faces 14-Day License Suspension for Dangerous Driving Incident at Lower Collymore Rock, Transport Officials Say

A route taxi driver is likely to have his licence suspended for 14 days after a viral video showed him driving dangerously along Lower Collymore Rock, transport officials have said.

The video, which circulated on social media, shows a ‘ZR’ van approaching the traffic lights at the Lower Collymore Rock-Culloden Road junction. The vehicle drives down the right-hand lane, then veers over to the left lane behind a line of vehicles to proceed to the junction. It then crosses into a lane of oncoming traffic.

Minister of Transport and Works Santia Bradshaw condemned the incident on Starcom Radio on Wednesday, describing it as “dangerous and reckless”.

She said: “I want to condemn the action of what I saw being displayed by the driver in this particular video, and certainly to let it be known that the Transport Authority and certainly the Ministry of Transport and Works condemn this type of reckless behaviour on our roads.

“The process for investigating these matters has already commenced. The owner and the driver will be informed of the serious nature of the incident, and what will follow is a suspension of at least 14 days, during which time that investigation will take place.”

Bradshaw added that the Transport Authority would follow up with written correspondence to insurance companies, the General Insurance Association of Barbados (GIAB), the Commissioner of Police, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Works, and the chief licensing officer.

The Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) has denounced the act, calling for stricter enforcement of traffic laws and regulations. Roy Raphael, chairman of the AOPT, expressed concern over what he described as a “crisis” in the public service vehicle (PSV) industry.

“This is over 30 years that we have had these issues pertaining to public transport, and we cannot get them corrected,” Raphael said. “Many ministers have attempted to do so. This minister, in her grateful way, is looking to see how best she can deal with it.”

Raphael argued that the situation has worsened over time. “We had issues with people ‘rocking de cradle’ referring to the practice of sudden braking and acceleration to cause the vehicle to lurch back and forth. But I have never seen things like this before. Doing that is basically putting people’s lives at risk.”

The AOPT chairman reiterated a previous call for the establishment of an independent body to hear matters pertaining to public service vehicles and operators.