Soon after Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) chairman Roy Raphael complained that repeated warnings about illegal public service vehicle (PSV) operators were falling on deaf ears, Minister of Transport and Works Kirk Humphrey has stepped in, meeting with the association and promising action.
Raphael recently lamented that despite raising concerns publicly and receiving support from insurance executive Randy Graham, there had been little official response.
“It appears that nobody seems to be interested. After the discussion in the papers and then Randy Graham came out and reinforced his point, it appears to me that nobody else ever came and addressed it because it doesn’t concern them, not until there’s a mass casualty and then you’re going to hear the outcry,” the AOPT leader lamented.
Insurance warning
His comments followed an interview carried in the June 7 SUNDAY SUN in which he appealed to illegal PSV operators to stop pirating routes and instead become part of the regulated transport system. He argued that crime against licensed operators and inadequate service on some routes had created opportunities for piracy.
A week later, Graham, chief executive officer of CG United Insurance, warned that private motorists carrying paying passengers could find themselves without insurance coverage if they were involved in an accident while operating illegally.
Humphrey confirmed he met with the association last Wednesday.
“The safety of the travelling public must always be our highest priority. I met with Roy Raphael and his team and had a constructive discussion on issues relating to piracy, illegal route operations and other matters affecting the transport sector. I have committed to meeting with them again as we continue to engage and work through their concerns and identify practical solutions,” the minister told the DAILY NATION.
“I am aware of the concerns being raised regarding unlicensed vehicles operating along established routes. While I appreciate that transportation challenges can sometimes lead people to seek alternative arrangements, I must caution both operators and the travelling public against engaging in piracy. Such services operate outside the regulatory framework and may not provide the insurance protections, oversight and accountability mechanisms that normally exist within the authorised public transport system.”
He warned that illegal operations also disadvantaged legitimate PSV owners.
“Piracy also undermines the livelihoods of licensed operators who have invested significant time and resources to comply with the law and meet the standards required to provide public transportation services.
“We cannot build a safe, orderly and sustainable transport system if some operators are expected to abide by the rules while others operate outside them. This is the principle of fairness that Barbadians live by.”
Humphrey, who is also a Senior Minister, said Government remained committed to strengthening regulation and enforcement while improving the country’s transportation network.
Raphael welcomed the meeting but maintained that piracy remained a growing threat to both passengers and legitimate operators.
He said pirates typically operated during the hours when many licensed PSV operators avoid certain routes due to fears of being robbed.
“Most of the pirates operate early in the morning and late at night. Most of our operators start to work from around 6:30 a.m. and some of them finish between 7 and 8 p.m. because of our safety measures and the crime situation.
“There are some areas that we may not want to go after 6 p.m. because of fear, and the fact is that a number of our operators have been robbed in the past.”
According to Raphael, pirates were less likely to become targets because they were harder to identify.
“A pirate doesn’t have a number; they’re not colour-coded. So, therefore, you don’t have instances where a person will rob a pirate . . . but our operations are targeted because of the sums of money that we, as a sector, handle.”
He also argued that weaknesses in the island’s public transport network were creating opportunities for illegal operators.
“Public transport is very, very poor in terms of certain hours,” he said.
He identified underserved areas and routes such as Rendezvous Gardens and Fordes Road in Christ Church; The Ivy and Bush Hall in St Michael; Oistins in Christ Church to College Savannah in St John; Speightstown to Mile And A Quarter in St Peter, and Speightstown to Checker Hall in St Lucy as prime piracy spots.
Despite his concerns, Raphael reiterated that the association was not seeking to drive pirates out of business but wanted them to operate legally.
“What we’re encouraging and imploring upon the pirates is that we want them to get legal within the system. We are appealing to them [to] go to the Transport Authority and apply for a permit. If they want us to assist in terms of guiding them throughout the process, we can do that, but we would like them to come on board legally and do not put people’s lives at risk.” (CA)