IT SHOULD NOT have come as a shock that public service vehicle owners want a hike in bus fares.
After all, the cost of goods and services of almost everything in Barbados continues to rise, even in circumstances when unjustified. This plea to raise the bus fare should not escape the attention of the very public these operators serve, if only because it would negatively affect so many people.
The one dollar – 50 per cent – increase proposed by the operators would have a ripple effect in the entire economy. The trade unions would likely seek a pay hike for its members on the grounds that their purchasing power would have been eroded, while employers faced with any increase in their wages bill would have to look at their own viability.
The only way to offset these expenses would be to charge more for goods and services, thereby creating a vicious cycle.
The complaints against an already high cost of living would be exacerbated. The same problem of which the PSV owners seek to deal with will be right back with them.
Even before the minibus and ZR van operators request a rate hike they should consider cleaning up their operations. As the main movers of commuters using public transport these business people provide a critical service.
They have long exposed the state-owned Transport Board for its inefficiencies and inability to meet passenger needs. There is good justification for expansion of the service they provide, rather than wasting millions of dollars on the Transport Board. The request for certain concessions may very well be justified, while at the same time there is a clear need for greater regulation of the sector.
This is why we must not play ostrich. The operations of the minibuses and ZR vans have become almost uncontrollable. Some drivers treat the road as if it were theirs and theirs alone by showing almost total disregard for the rule of law and those who enforce it at whatever level.
They stop where it pleases them, block the roads, play loud and often offensive music, and generally infringe traffic regulations. Unfortunately, some owners provide silly excuses to defend the inexcusable.
The owners should rather consider the soft side of their business – its image and their attitudes – with the same seriousness that they dedicate to their bottom line. As business people looking to maximise their earnings, the request for a rate increase is their right, even if unjustified and even unconscionable in the prevailing circumstances.
Despite the outcry of threats to their viability, more, rather than fewer, entrepreneurs are taking the risk to enter the sector, not necessarily out of love for people or country, but for profit.
