The Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance has embarked on a sanitisation programme targeting all bus terminals and buses, in accordance with the preferred guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ministry of Health and Wellness in Barbados.
The programme will be done at two levels. Currently, all Transport Board buses and those vehicles participating in the Transport Augmentation Programme (TAP) are sanitised on a daily basis.
If the situation related to COVID-19 becomes more acute, the process will target all public transport vehicles.
These are Transport Board buses, public service vehicles (PSVs) and vehicles participating in the TAP.
At this stage, all buses will be thoroughly sanitised on their return to the terminals, which would entail all passengers having to disembark on arriving at the terminals. Embarking passengers may incur short delays due to the sanitisation process.
In addition, the periodic sanitisation of all bathrooms, handrails and seating areas in the terminals continues on a daily basis.
All public service vehicles which operate from the Speightstown, Constitution River Terminal and Cheapside/Princess Alice terminals will be directed to go through the terminals in order for the vehicles to be sanitised after each trip. Other PSVs which do not normally operate from a terminal will be sanitised at a designated point.
All owners of PSVs have been advised that it is their responsibility to sanitise their vehicles on a daily basis in keeping with WHO guidelines.
The Ministry of Transport Works and Maintenance apologises for any inconvenience caused as it seeks to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19. (BGIS)
