A FEW YEARS AGO I left home to meet a friend at Redmans Village service station. It was late, the road was wet, there wasn’t a visible moon and the rain was falling.
As I came over the incline heading south, approaching Arch Hall with bright lights on, I looked in front of me and saw what looked to be a dark brick wall perpendicular to the highway.
I squinted and leaned forward trying to figure out what it was while reaching for my gear stick and easing off the gas. The area had no lighting and visibility was very poor.
By the time I realised it was a Transport Board bus I had very little time to react. I knew if I slammed brakes I would have lost traction and control of the direction of the car and probably skid straight into the bus since the road was wet.
I decided to ride the sidewalk, trying to avoid the bus, when all of a sudden I heard people scream (people who were waiting by the bus stop). I made up in my mind I wasn’t hitting anyone and pulled towards the bus and let the car take the lash from the bus, which was actually crossing the road to stop at the bus stop. When I was able to stop a little distance ahead, I got out the car and immediately went and apologised to the people by the bus stop. When the police came the driver accepted responsibility that he drove out of the gap knowing my car was approaching.
Almost every time I pass that area, I am reminded of how easily I could have died that night. I want to make two suggestions as it relates to buses, minibuses and coaches.
1. Once outside becomes dark or light is fading, drivers should turn on the lights inside the bus so other commuters can see them from a distance.
2. Buses and other large vehicles (dump trucks, container trucks, garbage trucks etc.) should have a reflective tape running along the side of the vehicle. This would allow commuters to see them even in poorly lit areas.
On Saturday evening I left a meeting in Rockley with enough time for me to get to town got a 7 p.m. bus home. When I got to the Princess Alice Terminal (Lower Green) it was full and people at every gate were waiting on their respective buses.
Five minutes to seven came and to my surprise there were no buses at any of the gates. Seven o’clock, 7:10, 7:15 passed and not one single bus in the entire bus terminal. Around 7:20 a Speightstown bus arrived. By this time people were complaining and I also shared my dissatisfaction with the situation.
Standing in front of me in the line was a gentleman who needed to take the 7 p.m. bus to one destination to collect something so he could get back in town to get another bus to get to another location. Well, his night was totally messed up. Around 7:30 I decided I couldn’t wait to see if there would be a bus at 8 p.m. and opted to get a number 3 ZR to Redmans Village and see if I could catch the ABC Highway bus leaving Oistins at 8:15 p.m.
Before I left, one lady told me this happens all the time around Crop Over. Another person said the buses were being used to transport people at different private Crop Over events. I wasn’t able to verify these claims but it is believable since there were no buses available.
If this is indeed true, this is totally unacceptable and an apology to the public is needed. The first priority of the buses should be to the public who rely on them. Imagine the frustration, disappointment and concern in the hearts of those people who were waiting on various routes to get to work, get home, pick up their children, or care for a shut-in or an elderly family member.
I do hope that this situation is remedied as it is very unfair to people who rely on public transportation.
• Corey Worrell, a former Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, is director of C2J Foundation Inc., a project-based NGO focusing on social development. Email: [email protected]
