HIGH HOPES
THE challenges facing the public service vehicles (PSV) sector need to be addressed as a matter of urgency, and Interim Chairman of the Association of Public Transport Operators (APTO), Morris Lee, says he is willing to work with the new Government to see the much-needed change occur.
His comments came as he offered congratulations to the new Prime Minister Mia Mottley and the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) for their resounding victory at the May 24 polls, as he said he is looking forward to working with the new Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance, Dr. William Duguid. In fact, Lee is of the firm belief that so long as Dr. Duguid, a dentist by trade, applies dental philosophy to the task before him, the sector will be in good hands.
“When anyone visits the dentist, the role of the dentist is to first listen to the nature of the complaint the patient has. The dentist then goes on to make an examination to assess what needs to be done and from making the assessment, he would be fully informed about the findings from the examination and determine a course of action,” he said.
Lee added, “If I can liken this to the transport industry, the transport industry is like an athlete with a very bad toothache and a number of cavities. The pain that the athlete is in has seriously slowed down the performance the athlete is known for. When Dr. Duguid examines this transport athlete that comes before him, he would recognise that there are some rotten teeth that have to be removed that cannot be repaired; there are cavities that need to be cleaned out and filled as they still have potential; and there are some adult teeth that are growing and pushing away the baby teeth and obviously he has to exercise his skills in the extraction. The goal is not leave the patient worse but make the patient better, return them to the peak of health so that they can give you those gold award winning performances they are known for.”
With that in mind, Lee, while making it clear that there is no place in the industry for disrespect for authority or attire that does not conform to the rules and regulations, said that the transport industry has the potential to be a major income generator for Barbados and the PSV sector is willing to play its part. The APTO head feels strongly that the sector not only has the potential to save Barbados millions of dollars, but at the same time create new employment opportunities and a level of creativity that has never before been seen in this country.
But, he said one of the first or greater priorities that has to be looked at is demand and supply. He says an assessment needs to be performed to determine where the sector is at in respect of both those variables. He raised the point while noting that there are some routes which are saturated with PSV while others are in need.
“There is no reason why we should have 100-plus ZRs on the Silver Sands route running up and down half full; several ZRs on Wanstead and Silver Hill chasing down one another like racehorses, and while scores of people are in the Fairchild Street and Cheapside Bus stands waiting sometimes till night to get transport to get home,” Lee lamented.
He added, “What I think the Minister needs to do is to look very seriously at the demand and supply factor that this patient has brought to the table, and by making the movement of people more efficient, by addressing the demand with the resources that you already have, then you can start to get transport revived in Barbados.” (JRT)