WANTED: More women to drive public service vehicles (PSVs).
Roy Raphael, head of one of the PSV associations, is appealing for women to get behind the wheel.
The president of the 75-member Alliance Owners of Public Transport said there had been a slight increase in women showing interest in driving public transport. The association represents mainly taxi drivers and route taxi operators, who transport thousands of commuters daily across the island.
“We would want to make another appeal to the women of Barbados between 25 and 45 to show more interest in the driving of PSVs. I’m not discriminating but it was said that women are a bit safer and show more responsibility in dealing with the elderly and the children,” Raphael told the DAILY NATION.
Last week, president of the Barbados Road Safety Association, Sharmaine Roland-Bowen, said that women were safer drivers. At the time she was rewarding 75-year-old Nattalie Mayers, who had driven accident-free for the last 50 years.
Mayers said she prayed and drove with patience while looking out for other drivers. Roland-Bowen said that men did not always display similar qualities.
Meantime, Raphael said that as the association undertook a drive to recruit more taxi drivers, it was hoping to have more than just the one taxi with the metering system. He encouraged taxi drivers to install meters, which could work to their advantage. (AC)