Some operators of public service vehicles (PSVs) will soon be installing wireless and charging ports, giving commuters the option to access their own music or travel in silence.
Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT), Roy Raphael, told the Sunday Sun the majority of complaints his organisation received were about the lewd lyrics in the promotional CDs played on the buses and they were looking to shut this down.
Raphael said the Road Traffic Act spoke clearly about the playing of music on PSVs.
Oistins to Speightstown, Sugar Hill in St Joseph and Bridgetown to Sam Lord’s Castle in St Philip are the first routes identified for the roll-out.
“It will let you log on to Wi-Fi – instructions will be given – and you can [use your headphones] to listen to your own music. There will be no need for promotional music which will be a distraction to the old lady who does not want to hear curse words or for the youngster who doesn’t want to hear Christian music,” Raphael explained in a telephone interview yesterday.
“The old lady who doesn’t want to hear anything can just enjoy the scenery and the youngster can use his own cellphone. There will also be charging ports in some of the vans.”
Raphael said the executive explored the long-haul routes because of the length of time they took so they could ease the travelling experience for commuters.
AOPT is currently in discussion with one of the Internet service providers and the buses with Wi-Fi will be clearly marked.
The chairman said they were working closely with the authorities to alleviate the problems with promotional music and urged commuters to report violators to the Transport Authority’s Hotline or AOPT on Facebook.
Raphael said one of reasons why it was so difficult to police was because members of the public did not want to give official statements. He urged commuters to come in and fill out an official complaint form so the matter could be investigated. (SAT)