IT HAS BECOME a common thing to see many reports in the print media and also on social media about the worrying practices of some public service vehicles (PSV) operators, Today I want to highlight some concerns I have as it related to the Transport Board buses and its drivers.
Two weeks ago I took the 10 p.m. bus from Town to home. Within less than 60 seconds on the journey, something felt wrong about the bus. I am not a mechanic but I could tell something was wrong with the suspension. Not only was the back of the bus quite unstable and gave a hard ride, there was a loud rattling sound coming from under the bus whenever the shocks or suspension were engaged due to a hump or hole in the road.
What was more worrying was that the driver was going very quickly and, in my opinion, recklessly. By the time the bus got to the junction where President Kennedy Drive meets Spring Garden Highway and Fontabelle Road, I was contemplating whether to get out and walk back to the terminal and wait for the 11 o’clock bus.
To make matters worse, I was sitting in the aisle seat at the back of the bus, beneath the elevated last row of seats. What made this a bad situation was that the upright poles that are normally at the end of the aisle which passengers in the back seats use for support, were missing. This meant that if the bus had made a sudden stop, inertia would have propelled all those passengers in the back elevated seats and they would have landed on us below.
Due to how fast this driver was driving and the dangerous way in which he meandered through poorly lit and often dark narrow roads, I wondered if he was intoxicated or challenged to make it to the end of the route by a specific time.
The introduction of an ABC Highway bus route was an excellent idea. I would ask those in authority to consider adding the 7 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. buses that are available on Saturdays to the weekday routes and including Sundays to the schedule. My only concern with this route occurs between the Everton Weekes and Norman Niles roundabouts. I have found that too many of the drivers use this stretch of highway as a racetrack. I have used a speedometer app via GPS on my phone to clock on average, drivers doing between 92 km/h and 97 km/h. Some people may say this isn’t fast but in a bus carrying sometimes over 60 passengers, this is very dangerous. On two occasions, the drivers were racing a garbage truck and a delivery box truck; a catastrophe waiting to happen.
The night of the Courts Parade I boarded a bus for home. While on the journey, the metal component that holds the support bar which runs parallel to the roof, dislodged and almost hit a passenger in the face. It was so heavy that when it dislodged, it almost did a full revolution. I am convinced that these buses are not regularly inspected, if at all, or maintained. Back doors that don’t fully close; windows rattling; floor panels over the engine not fully secure; very few “stop buttons” that work, if any; the string used to alert the driver you want to get off just hangs as many of the supporting clips are broken, and emergency window levers are rusted. I watched in disbelief a night when the rain was falling, a driver stopping literally every few metres to wipe the windshield since she couldn’t see anything and there wasn’t any other way to de-fog the windscreen. This isn’t good enough. Seriously, better must be done.
No one can convince me that the interiors of these buses are cleaned or disinfected nightly. There is mould on side panels; hardened dirt on headrests; windows are tinted with grease from people’s hair, and the floor is just dirty. I now walk with hand sanitiser when travelling by bus since I have had experiences with my palms itching me shortly after disembarking.
To those many drivers who drive responsibly, please encourage your colleagues in this area. To those in authority at the Transport Board, your slogan is You Are In Safe Hands With Us! As a passenger I would love to be reassured that not only my life is safe but also my health. To you passengers, you have a duty and responsibility to care and respect these buses.
