TASI expansion coming soon

IF all goes to plan, by next month there should be an expansion of the Transport Authority Service Integration (TASI) Project, which combines the services of the Transport Board and operators of public service vehicles (PSVs) on some routes.

So says Minister of Transport and Works, Michael Lashley. During the debate on the Appropriation Bill and the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the financial year 2018-2019 earlier this month, Lashley disclosed that the Cabinet had recently agreed to expand the TASI Project, and speaking with The Barbados Advocate last week, he revealed that the work required to effect that Cabinet directive is well under way.

He noted that it was in 2015 that the TASI Project was introduced, with the original plan to focus on three routes – Sturges, St. Thomas; Edey Village, Christ Church; and Martin’s Bay, St. John. He explained however, that after some concerns were raised about the quality of the roads on the latter route, it was decided that only Sturges and Edey Village would be brought on board.

The primary goal of the project, he said, is to address issues of public transport reliability, by integrating the PSV as part of the public transport programme to better meet the needs of the commuting public. His comments came as he noted that the private sector’s assistance is vital, given the challenges facing the Transport Board at this time with its ageing fleet.

“If we want to adequately meet the needs and demands of passengers, we have to employ a collaborative approach and we require the buy-in of the passengers. So to gain the confidence and trust of the travelling public, it would necessitate dialogue with the owners and drivers, training of drivers, putting standards in place and creating a schedule especially to meet the demands made during peak times, where people sometimes end up having to wait long periods in the terminals to get a bus because of unavailability,” he said.

Lashley indicated that he could not at that time indicate exactly which routes would be included, noting that the Transport Board and the Transport Authority have been ironing out the particulars. However, noting that several long-haul routes were being contemplated, Minister Lashley went on to reveal that consideration was being given again to including Martin’s Bay in the project. As such, he said his Ministry has been working on getting the roads on that route repaired.

His comments came as he said that the intention is to finalise the details of the initiative hopefully by the end of this month, so as to have the expansion rolled out as soon as possible. (JRT)