‘Give us better facilities!’

THE owners of Public Service Vehicles (PSV), which are stationed at the Lower Green and the River Van Stands, say that it is time for them to get better facilities. 

 

In fact, one PSV driver noted that there should be a focus on the fact that the surroundings of the Lower Green van terminal are “borderline atrocious”, a sentiment that was shared and expressed by many of the PSV owners who were stationed at the Lower Green, when they spoke of their challenges and needs to The Barbados Advocate recently. The PSV operators are all of the belief that it is time for the area to be outfitted with better facilities and bathrooms for themselves and commuters.

 

“What we would like is a bathroom for us to use down here,” a driver of the number 3 route taxi, who wished to remain anonymous, lamented. 

 

He went on to say, with the agreement of his other colleagues, that for years there was no bathroom for them to use. 

 

Another driver, who also expressed his want of anonymity, complained that there needed to be proper facilities for them. 

 

“We need a couple bathrooms and an actual van stand,” he said. 

 

When it was pointed out to them that there was a bathroom near the Princess Alice Highway bus terminal for them to use, many of them pointed out that the facility was not theirs. They strongly believed that it was time for them to receive their own. 

 

Meanwhile, a PSV op-erator in the River Van Stand noted that there needs to be more attention paid to the work currently being undertaken to provide a terminal for that area. He was referring to the work being done on the old Queen’s College school building, located adjacent to the van stand, which is being retrofitted to accommodate the new River Terminal on the ground floor. 

 

Speaking to The Barbados Advocate earlier this month, Minister of Transport and Works Michael Lashley said that construction was progressing smoothly, with the second phase of the new terminal expected to start in a few months’ time. He indicated that substantial work has been carried out on the building, adding that based on the state of the renovations at that time, he expected the building would be ready to open by November.