All stakeholders of the public transport system should be involved in the discussion process before plans are implemented.
That’s according to Mark Haynes, the Communications and Information and Marketing Officer of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT), who said it’s important this is done, as such plans will alter the state of affairs in the industry.
He told Nation News stakeholders not being included in talks is “manifestly wrong” and is “not the way in which business is conducted.”
“I think that whenever the Government is going to do whatever it has to do, it has the responsibility to meet with the relevant bodies before it does anything that will affect the industry. I am not satisfied that we have been having enough regular meetings with the Government and it is time to do that now. The new Minister (The Hon. Santia Bradshaw) has been in seat now for quite a while, Haynes addded.”
He said that it was unfair to have the AOPT learn about developments happening in their industry through media platforms and then have commuters and members of the wider public asking questions of the association who were not privy to any information at that time.
“We should not be opening the newspaper or going on social media to find out what is happening.If you have stakeholders it is incumbent on you as a common courtesy to meet with us and have the discussions so that they can take our input. That way at the end of the day when the Government goes to Parliament they can say within reason that they met with everyone and reached an accord.”
Top of the agenda for AOPT is speaking with Government about the guarantee of a taxi facility by the now Granville Williams Bus Terminal (formerly the Fairchild Street Bus Terminal) which they say is one of a number of promises by the Government that has not materialised.
Chairman of the AOPT, Roy Raphael is of the belief that taxi drivers need their own facility to operate, instead of being dispersed across the city of Bridgetown in the hope of finding themselves in a lucrative spot to pick up commuters.
Raphael has warned that if the Ministry of Transport fails to meet with the AOPT to discuss where taxi drivers can operate from this year, it will result in the association considering legal action to get the sufficient compensation. (JC)
