PSV folk eyeing buyers’ club

Public service vehicle (PSV) operators are setting up a “buyers’ club” to source cheaper insurance, fuel, tyres and spare parts.
Word of this came Saturday from president of the Association of Private Transport Operators (APTO) Morris Lee.
“We know that much better can be done in terms of pricing insurance, fuel, tyres and spare parts, which are some of the high-ticket items for the PSV sector,” Lee said.
“We are looking to establish the Buyers’ Club with a view to consolidating our position in an effort to reduce the cost of doing business.”
He described insurance rates for the industry as “unacceptably high”, saying they ranged from $10 000 per vehicle to $25 000.
Lee conceded that APTO had to do some work among PSV?operators to get a change in negative habits because the high premiums reflected the fact that “the PSV sector was considered high-risk because of the way some of these vehicles [were] being driven”.
He said APTO was already in “preliminary discussion” with a supplier of tyres who was “willing to take a second look at the markup”. (TY)