Meet us halfway!
That was the reaction from Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators to a new proposal by the Transport Authority to schedule routes, introduce training for operators and permanently remove radios from their privately-owned vehicles.
While admitting there is need for greater order to the system, the operators are pleading with authorities to address some outstanding matters.
“Meet us halfway and I will comply with all the rules you set. Help us first,” said Reginald Taylor, who plies the Howells and Ivy routes.
He believes that the River Van Stand facilities are in dire need of upgrade.
“There are no taps for running water. No proper bathrooms or places to shelter during heavy rains. Nothing! Here floods in the twinkling of an eye. You should have seen in here [Tuesday]”, he told the Daily Nation.
Route 11 operator Emmerson Alkins appeared far more upbeat about the Government’s proposal.
“It’s a positive move and I am all for it. I feel it would bring things under control.
“We all stand a better chance of getting a piece of the pie. As long as a proper schedule is set, it could work,” he said, insisting that the “[River Road terminal] needs discipline bad and the regulating could help with that”.
But other PSV operators are worried that a level playing field does not now exist with state-run Transport Board buses whose operations are presently subsidised by the Government.
Another operator on the Cheapside-to-Grazettes route complained: “It will be harder on us. We pay more taxes and insurance premiums. Things out here are already hard, the hussle helps. Some days are dead and the only money I take home is from running the route. I don’t like it but I got to live with it.”
Speaking at the 55th anniversary celebrations of the Transport Board at Solidarity House, Harmony Hall, St Michael, on Tuesday night, Transport Authority Chairman Joseph King said that the current system of taxation would be reviewed.
“With the widespread use of scheduled services, it is envisaged that commuters would be guaranteed regular and on-time service along designated routes,” King said.
As part of Government’s restructuring plan for the sector, the minimum age for operators is to be set at 25 and their qualifications reviewed.
In addition, all devices capable of reproducing recorded sound in PSVs are to be removed and passengers found guilty of offending any of the authority’s regulations will also face penalties.