Stay on routes

MINISTER of Transport and Works, Michael Lashley is warning operators of Public Service Vehicles (PSV) that they must complete their assigned routes.

The Minister informed that, from this week, the Licensing Authority will be sending Transport Inspectors at strategic points at specific times to check to see which PSV operators are not completing their routes, disadvantaging passengers.

Lashley told the Barbados Advocate that he had been hearing too many complaints from aggrieved passengers who were forced to disembark PSVs before they reached their destination.

The Minister, who indicated that he was not pleased with this development, reminded PSV operators and owners that under the present Law, the Licensing Authority can revoke permits once reasonable considerations have been taken into account.

“So the Licensing Authority can revoke permits. And if the reason is that passengers are being disadvantaged as a result of the vehicle not going the prescribed route as outlined in the permit, then the Licensing Authority does have the power under the Law. I also saw the complaints in another part of the media, and I got some calls about it.

“Only recently I was in conversation with some passengers and they said to me that they were on a particular van, and the van decided to put them off, and they live at the end of the route.

“Of course the driver and conductor were very abusive to those passengers, and I think that we have to look at that very seriously. Passengers must be serviced; the reason why they got the permit is to service passengers. You have a permit to travel a particular route, until the end of the journey,” Lashley said.

The Minister stated that there is no reason a PSV should leave a route before completing the journey, unless there is an emergency on board, or an obstruction as a result of road works.

Acting Chief Licensing Officer Virgil Knight said he was in agreement with Minister Lashley’s views, noting that he too was concerned with the issue. Knight confirmed that Transport Inspectors will be on the roads from yesterday. “If a person does not follow the route, they are disadvantaging the passengers, therefore breaching the contract between themselves and the customer, and they are also breaching the permit.

“The Minister brought it to my attention and we will make sure that we have some inspectors at the end of the route to make sure that the guys complete the route. We only know of the routes where this is taking place when passengers make it their business to inform us and then we will take the necessary action,” Knight said. (AH)