Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley wants to see public transportation placed in the hands of private operators.
He repeated a call made previously, for “the state to withdraw itself from commercial aspects of public transport in Barbados, and that the state sees its obligation to provide for that service, so far as facilitating the movement of school children and the like” in the House of Assembly Tuesday.
In his contribution to debate on the Public Transport (Miscellaneous) Bill 2020, Atherley contended the state “should facilitate private sector development in that area of economic activity and should confine itself . . . to properly regulate the sector.”
He also suggested a Government subsidy be given to the private operators, adding this could mean significant savings for Government. Such concessions, he pointed out, were being requested by the PSV operators for some time, and he argued there should be some consideration to acceding, to reduce the operating costs of the private owners.
Atherley also floated the idea of imposing a transport levy on “well-to-do” Barbadians to alleviate the “pain” of “high” bus fares which he said were causing hardships for many working class Barbadians who he asserted were suffering in silence. He suggested a study be conducted in this regard.
“Whether we know it or not, bus fares are killing on the poorer sections of Barbados,” the Opposition Leader said.
Among Atherley’s suggestions was a “regulated flat fee” payment arrangement for PSV workers, as a means of stamping out the “hustling” in the sector.
He also reiterated Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s call to owners of coaches formerly used for transportation of students of the Ross University School of Medicine as well as similar transportation from other sectors of tourism now inactive because of COVID-19 pandemic, to get involved in the Transport Board’s Transportation Augmentation Programme (TAP). (GC)
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