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Submitted by Nopolean Bonaparte
Michael Lashley, Minister of Transport
Michael Lashley, Minister of Transport

Have you tried catching a Transport Board bus lately? It is bare horrors. Should you be so unlucky as to have to rely on one of these buses as a means of getting to and fro, you would understand what commuters are experiencing daily. These buses are never on time whether you are in the terminal or en route there. Punctuality was lacking before to say the least, but nowadays it has reached a new low. We are talking about an hour or more in some rural communities like Sugar Hill, half an hour and beyond for the suburban.

What makes matters worse, is to see drivers engaged in games of dominoes at times with as many as six buses lying there just parked. It is alleged that the Minister had once made a surprise visit on hearing of these reports and saw for himself the goings on. We hearing that there are not enough buses as many are down and in need of repairs, however, one becomes more perplexed seeing buses traveling empty at peak hours and knowing that some communities cannot get one.

Could it be a scheduling problem then, whereas a time study is needed encompassing peak hours of traffic and the re-engaging of the ‘spy’ inspector, who used to be the Board’s man on the ground?  Most definitely it would be a better use of monies than paying chauffeurs to be driving up and down empty buses. The obvious fallout of all this, commuters have no choice but to travel unsafely on uninsured minibuses. Could this be an intentional ploy, as it is alleged some bus drivers have interest in minibuses?  More than the mortar in the pestle and definitely worthy of an investigation, after all, it is we the taxpayers monies being duped.

What about the call to privatize buses? By all means if such will bring about a turnaround with the situation. Tax paying commuters deserve more, not withstanding our ever increasing deficit. A private concern would not entertain all this nonsense knowing all is mostly being festered by a few fractured and dishonest chauffeurs.


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161 responses to “Transport Board Needs to Get its Act Together”

  1. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    If I were you I would go beyond what you termed a few fractured and dishonest chauffeurs. Recently, I had reason to go to the Transport Board to represent two drivers who were accused of negligence and refusing to carry out orders. The alleged negligence supposedly resulted in the loss of money to the Board to the tune of a few thousand dollars.

    One of the drivers identified a number of persons by name that took the canisters from his bus. When those persons were approached by the investigating officer, they declined to give a statement or co-operate with the investigation. This particular driver insisted that he took no money and that he wanted the Police involved in order to clear his name. You could not believe my horror when the Deputy General Manager, who was conducting the hearing, said, “We don’t want to go down that road”. Thereafter, he dismissed the driver.

    I will not go further into this matter, as it is now before the Chief Labour Officer, other than to say that the problem of loss revenue at the Transport Board does not originate with the drivers contrary to popular belief.


  2. How did this problem just appear? Somebody at the TB wake up one day and 1/2 the busses out of service? Apathy or incompetence ? Inability to walk and chew gum at the same time Bajan work ethic? Staff domino tournament more important? Everyone is affected by this fiasco of TB lack of governance from the school children arriving late for class to transportation option less hard working people spending several hours each day commuting to and from their already precarious places of employment. Adding insult to insanity is the inevitable mass casualty accidents coming any day now from the absolute uncontrolled reckless driving by these yellow and blue bus clowns. Has no one complained about the modified (removed?) mufflers on the yellow busses? Why the bleating noise? Another way to drive away visitors. WHO is responsible for ensuring that these vehicles are inspected and maintained? WHERE ARE THE POLICE?
    @ David/Caswell. Thank you for naming names. At least someone can be held accountable and shamed even if there will likely be no consequences for failure on the job.


  3. Successive governments have subsidized the Transport Board. It has been a statutory body which has been good to both parties over the years. The problem at the TB did not begin yesterday AND this government despite promising CHANGE has continued along the same old path.


  4. “What about the call to privatize the buses? By all means if such will bring about a turnaround with the situation. Tax paying commuters deserve more, notwithstanding our ever increasing deficit”. – extracted from the above article.

    It is very clear that the operational financial crises at the Barbados Transport Board are going to get worse and worse as this localized political economic depression deepens and deepens.

    It is also very true that many of the operational financial crises at the Board preceded the present localized political economic depression.

    It is no doubt too that many of the dysfunctions problems composing these crises will – unless systematically rectified – continue after this depression ends.

    Indeed, there are a number of things that are in need of currently being fundamentally corrected at the Board, given some of what we have been seeing take place at the Board and in its operations.

    And there are also a number of things that need to be fundamentally corrected within the ordering and regulating of the public transport sector, and that will be able to help bring about the reorganization and consolidation of its role as a mass transit public transport enterprise in the same sector.

    However, as a political party, we will mention just seven of those things, which a certain future coalitional government of Barbados – and of which we will be a part of – will help do to help make the local public private transportation sector a far better and far more important sector to this country’s long term redevelopment, on its coming into governmental office in this country.

    1) The Abolition of Taxation (what foolishness from the author of the article about TAX payers – when we are TAX victims robbed stolen from on an ongoing basis by the government); the Abolition of the system of licensing of vehicles (bicycles, motor cycles, cars, taxis, buses, coaches, trucks, trains, etc) operating within the mass public private transportation sector, and in its place a simple system of registration of such vehicles;

    2) The restructuring of the financial sector of this country. The putting in place of a National Institutional Non-Repayable Productive Loans Scheme and a National Institutional Non-Repayable Non-Productive Loans Scheme to make sure that the myth cruelty of there being debt from the mere use of the Barbadian people’s money, is completely extinguished in the long term to the substantial benefit of every of those entities operating within the public transportation sector, and to the substantial benefit of all of those carrying out business within all other commercial sectors within the country;

    3) The creation of a stage based fare system for the operators of mass transit public transportation in the country, to reflect the proportionate amount in use of money by entities involved in the process of operating their businesses or transporting commuters according to the distance traveled;

    4) The reconstitution and reestablishment of the Barbados Transport Board to make it a partnership owned by all the partners in it. As well, the coming into existence of such a partnership will see it being responsible for inheriting, managing and operating, and as the case may be, the trademarks, vehicles, equipment, compounds, terminals, etc now falling under the present Board. Too, such a body of partners shall – at the appointed times – be responsible for electing its own autonomous board of directors of partners to whom the relevant partners shall give administrative policy suggestions proposals initiatives for these directors to fashion into proposed policies rules that will in turn be eventually put by these directors for majority approval of those partners meeting in conference at a particular date and time as the coming into effect of the existing operational management policies of the reconstituted reestablished enterprise. Aside from making clear the partnership enterprise’s national strategic and commercial functions, its charter will also spell out its social welfare function.

    There shall be the passage of a new legislative act by such a coalitional government to help give legal effect to these and other required changes.

    5) The creation of a partnership from amongst willing owners of existing mass transit public transport vehicles. These owners shall lease their vehicles under lease arrangements to the Partnership to be run on various routes. The Partnership shall out of the payments generated give payments to the owners of the vehicles for use of them according to the terms and conditions of the lease arrangements. The owners shall – at an appointed time and place – meet for purposes of electing their own Board of Directors and other committees to run the Partnership. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for recommending other partners to operate the vehicles, for recommending programs tools for the operating partners and their own training and education (further as well) , for proposing programs tools their own individual and collective overall partnership growth and development programs, proposing beneficial customer relations programs, and for recommending the discipline of ALL partners, to those owning partners of the Partnership at a particular meeting, place, and time to determine such actual courses of actions, if so.

    There shall be the passage of a new legislative act by such a coalition government to help give legal effect to these and other required changes.

    6) The rationalization of all routes in Barbados with a view to reducing unnecessary competition between the reconstituted reestablished enterprise and the other service providers on the various routes, and still with a view of the enterprise maximizing its social welfare functions to many commuters (e.g making sure that the enterprise use more longer haul buses than now to serve short haul routes at the same time) while making sure that the other service providers are able to do more charter, school services, services to entertainment or any other events, etc.

    7) The establishment of a dedicated school bus service to be provided by the enterprise and the Cooperative Partnership for various private and public schools; and

    8) The creation of a centralised terminal in St. Thomas or St. George to, et al, serve as a hub for getting into and out of certain out-of- Bridgetown regions.

    So there we go. Just a few of the very progressive domestic policies the PDC has for the overall improvement of the mass transit public transportation sector in Barbados.

    PDC


  5. So who amongst senior management is responsible for or knowledgeable in conducting simulation or operations research?


  6. london bridge is broken down, broken down broken down
    ah lie?


  7. BARBADOS is failing in every area of activity:
    Buried heads in sand
    cannot understand
    B’dos going down
    almost to de ground
    Church and schools
    dominated by fools
    fooling the people
    re-producing sheeple
    forcing them into girdles
    burdened shells on turltes
    sports /culture
    blood sucking vulture
    symbol of decay
    B’dos
    idiots masquerading as brainy
    corrupt slim shady
    ever wicked ever wild
    danger to man/ woman/ child

    ——————————
    Yaaaaaaaaaagga


  8. A number of busses parked and not working look in good condition. if they are parked due to mechanical problems then is it not cheaper to buy a new engine and transmission than a whole new bus? or is the drive to buy new busses, the same as in the past, to get a kickback. locally built busses are cheaper and also provide local employment. the busses that are not working may have good boddies, good chasis etc. it was madness to begin importing busses in the 1980’s aand it is still foolishness


  9. Are we happy with the performance of the Transport Authority to date?


  10. In short we need to return to the basics of the 1970’s. Import substitution, protecting local industries/ farmers etc all which protects local jobs and retains the export of foreign exchange. a win for local industries/ farmers, a win for workers and a win for the economy (GDP and Foreign exchange)


  11. Anyone knows who comprise the Board of Directors at the Transport Board ?

    I see Abdul Pandor in today’s Nation identified as one.

  12. What chubble is this? Avatar
    What chubble is this?

    Wait, a minute! How come Caswell representing members from a BWU stronghold, second only to the Port? I remember when NUPW officers used to get chased from Transport Board yard when they went to poach.


  13. The Nation Newspaper 31.10.13 photo caption says Abdul Pandor is not only a director at the Transport Board but a consultant to the ministry.

    Anyone know how many DLP party members are consultants to various Ministries, Departments and or Government entities?


  14. @ Nostradamus

    Is/was the Chairman not also a consultant?


  15. Pedro Stanford is the Chairman


  16. @David
    And who is the Workshop Consultant at MTW?


  17. Hi David,

    I believe Pedro Standford was the Chairman under John Boyce.


  18. I asked a question sometime ago and I got no answer…… I will ask it again, Why cant we have a balance set of persons on the boards and commissions.
    Meaning B’s, D’s and Indep like how the Senate is made up??


  19. The BLP and DLP Governments work for us the electorate. They should be looking after our interest. We treat these people like Gods….. They do all sorts of piss to us and we sit and take it as a nation. Nuff hot air then we are back in or shells, like it never happened.

    What’s the position with the Integrity Legislation???

    According to Davis Ellis, we should stop burying our heads in the sand.


  20. “…..we should stop burying our heads in the sand.”
    **********
    Bowls of brass got heads…..?!?
    ….hands maybe…..mouths definitely…. empty space fuh sure..
    …but heads…??
    Nah!


  21. @cin cin

    the opposition is allowed to nominate members to sit on the constituency councils and it has refused. I know of some blp supporters who are friends of the current administration sitting on boards. I believe that people who have integrity should sit on boards, and not necessarily those to do the minister’s bidding, but then again, our democracy is not mature enough to have persons who are objective sitting on boards.


  22. Lashley and new buses? What a joke!!
    Remember folks this is the same man as Minister of Housing left hundreds of empty, most incomplete, housing littering the landscape of Barbados with tens of millions of dollars in additional national debt.
    Next thing you know Barbados gine got hundred of new buses that aint work and aint paid for.


  23. bush tea your posts reminds me of Psalm 115

    Bush Tea | October 31, 2013 at 1:26 PM |
    “…..we should stop burying our heads in the sand.”
    **********
    Bowls of brass got heads…..?!?
    ….hands maybe…..mouths definitely…. empty space fuh sure..
    …but heads…??
    Nah!
    listen to the same chanted by kings college


  24. I hope they are not shaping up the Transport Board to sell it off – or give it – to Kyffin Simpson.
    I am reliably told that Simpson has three jets in a hangar at GAIA, with its own customs, immigration and health officers. In other words, according to my source, passengers on the Simpson jets do not go through conventional customs etc.
    If this is true, it is not only a serious security risk, but a snub to the integrity of our services.
    Let us re-take our nation.


  25. @Hal

    GAIA offers a premier service to private jets read plural.

  26. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    What Chubble is this

    Things have change so much in Barbados as it relates to trade unions. Workers have lost confidence in the established unions. They are finding it increasingly difficult to hold on to their members, and in the case of BWU, they are only managing to hold onto their members with the help of some employers who prefer to deal with BWU for whatever reason. The Transport Board is a case in point: when their workers resign from BWU and inform the Board to that effect, management refuses to allow them to withdraw and continue taking out their union dues. CORRUPTION! At a meeting on August 29, 2013 I raised this point with Markley Clarke the Human Resources Manager he conceded the point but continued to take out union dues for persons who resigned from BWU.

    By the way, even though BWU declared to the ILO, during the dispute with the Minister of Labour, that they had 25,000 members, their financial statement for the year just ended shows that they collected dues for only 15,000 + members.

    >

  27. are-we-there-yet? Avatar
    are-we-there-yet?

    Hal Austin; Re. your 2.33 post.
    True dat?

  28. charles knighton Avatar
    charles knighton

    “we should stop burying our heads in the sand.”

    Cin Cin you mean to stop putting dem heads up udder peoples pooches! Stupse.
    The problem with Transport board didn’t just happen this has been ongoing under both Governments and NO ONE wants or have the BALLS to change it. Perhaps it will take a pussy cat to bring change!


  29. @cASWELL

    YOU KNOW VERY WELL THAT IF THOSE WORKERS INSTRUCT THE TRANSPORT BOARD NOT TO DEDUCT UNION DUES THEY CANT, HAVE THEY INSTRUCTED THE BOARD IN WRITING AS THEY WOULD HAVE INORMED THEN IN WRITING TO DEDUCT.

  30. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    Newblood

    Who said that the instructions were not given in writing?

    >


  31. @hAL

    DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO YOU?


  32. @cASWELL

    WERE THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVING IN WRITING?


  33. A lot of you guys have your heads buried in political patronage but the bare fact is that in any country public mass transport is a social good. DO not compare with the private buses which cease operating after some hours. The government is mandated to move the less fortunate and the talk of an increase in bus fare is nothing but a joke. There are some problems to be solved.
    The minibuses operate just minutes ahead of regular buses to steal passengers to the disadvantage of the travelling public; all buses pass at same time. Drivers of regular buses do not seek to accommodate passengers who are desperately trying to run for the bus and are often very impolite. The transport Board must be seen as productive from the view point that it moves low paying mass workers within their salaries. Can you imagine a guy in St John paying 10 dollars round trip per day in a salary of 150 per week. And some of you idiots are calling for his children to pay bus fare too. Get real. The weak has to support the strong. Pay your taxes and stop trying to exist as a freeloader

  34. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    Newblood

    I know of one case where the instructions were given in writing, because I prepared the letter for the workers signature, and the instructions were ignored.

    >


  35. David,

    Pedro Stanford is no longer the Chairman, but he is the same one who is or was the consultant with MTW.

    Also, everything Caswell Franklyn said is true to my knowledge he represented those two drivers, but the problem is that the Senior Management and the BWU decided to punish them because they resigned from the BWU and joined with Caswell’s union. (they were put in their place)

    The General Manager is incompetent. Only interested in gossip, seems that is you came under the BLP or do not vocally fancy the DLP you are her enemy.

    There are a few persons in key positions, like management, Quality Assurance and Stores who benefit financially from units being down. Suppliers keep their pockets full.

    So there is some internal corruption, that has the cost of doing business at the Transport Board very high. At lot of persons know what is going on but are afraid of being unfaired, especially under this General Manager.

    Driver.

    Until………


  36. @Napolean
    Who owns the Minibusses and the ZRs?


  37. It is thief thiefing from thief in these Government run entities. I say privatize and end all this thiefing. I am tired of this free for all. It is time that people stand up for what is right and holler. I hope that bus driver gets his job back.


  38. Here is the most recent Board of Directors at the Transport Board as appeared in the Gazette:

    http://bajan.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/boardoftransportboard.jpg

    On 31 October 2013 22:18, Barbados Underground


  39. @Caswell

    to be honest, I don’t think that the manager of the Transport Board got a clue about managing an organization? I cant see I asking that money not be deducted from my wages and my employer refuse to do so.

    @Bus Driver
    I have heard about the corrupt practiced at the transport board, the private sector and other govt institutions. Corruption is so endemic in Barbados, that if u don’t participate people think something wrong with you. Again it is in the private and the public sector, We are reaching the stage like Africa. God help us. by the way, I don’t think the gentleman is a consultant with public works anymore.


  40. @David | October 31, 2013 at 6:27 PM |

    Wren Miller”s Brother does all the customs and freight work for the TB
    he is one of the ones milking the Transport Board I think his name is either Randolph or Rudolph. Wren was on the board when Pedro Stanford was chairman also. I have a family friend who works for him, so I know personally what is going on.

    This is how money is filtered back to politicians and political parties, and had how people use the Statutory Boards to make themselves and their family rich. One can only wonder if the charge the going rate of if they pay premium price for that frighting and clearing.

    http://bajan.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/boardoftransportboard.jpg

    Until………


  41. @Driver

    Can you shed light on the bios of the Board members? What is their academic background, what is their expertise/specialty?


  42. @ Hal Austin
    “……passengers on the Simpson jets do not go through conventional customs etc. If this is true, it is not only a serious security risk…..”

    And why would it be a security risk if as you say it has “its own customs, immigration and health officers. ? Wouldn’t they be carrying out their functions just as they would at GAIA?

  43. are-we-there-yet? Avatar
    are-we-there-yet?

    Nostradamus; If they get perks the other officers don’t get. If they are considered privileged, If they are not rotated frequently, some of them could become security risks. But of course that is not likely, Right?


  44. @are-we-there-yet

    Agreed but you think up at GAIA there isn’t corruption going on?

  45. millertheanunnaki Avatar
    millertheanunnaki

    @ islandgal246 | October 31, 2013 at 6:18 PM |
    “It is thief thiefing from thief in these Government run entities. I say privatize and end all this thiefing.”

    Privatization is the only solution to the incompetence, graft and corruption that plague these politically controlled entities with the TB a major casualty in all of this politically partisan warfare.

    Can you imagine politicians from both sides of the divide incessantly harping on about the poor productivity and sub-standard service that plague the economy and the only way out of the current economic maelstrom is for the country to up its game yet one of the economy’s main planks is used as a football between a set of intellectual eunuchs and political bandits.
    A reliable well managed even if not profitable Mass Transportation system is one of the most important ingredients or a keystone in any drive to economic prosperity, improved productivity and social well being. How can a government preach and propagandize about a “Green Economy” in a small island without good public transport? It boggles the mind.

    The only salvation for this country’s public transport system is to remove the politicians and their yard-fowls from the arena. The UK’s public bus service system can be a model to emulate albeit on a rather miniature scale.


  46. tedd | October 31, 2013 at 11:02 AM |
    A number of buses parked and not working look in good condition. if they are parked due to mechanical problems then is it not cheaper to buy a new engine and transmission than a whole new bus? or is the drive to buy new buses, the same as in the past, to get a kickback. locally built buses are cheaper and also provide local employment. the buses that are not working may have good bodies, good chassis etc. it was madness to begin importing buses in the 1980′s and it is still foolishness.
    ……………………………………………………………………………………….
    Perhaps we ,and by we, I mean the Minister of Transport and the Directors and managers of Transport Board need to take a step back and see how the Transport Board was efficiently managed in the 60’s and 70’s . We did not need consultants from over and away to tell us how to run buses. The Transport Board from its inception, and later from take overs, acquired some of the most experience people in public Transport. One such man was Dutchy Mayers who single handedly ran the River Bus stand, with very few valid complains from commuters who used that station.
    One of the biggest mistakes that the Transport Board has made in recent times, is making their own mechanical workshop redundant and farming out the repairs to a number of entities whose first priority is making money.The Transport Board workshop and maintenance personnel were very dedicated,and appreciated what it meant to the travelling public when a bus was taken out of duty for other than routine preventive maintenance, and would go all out to ensure that repairs on that bus were carried out speedily and efficiently . It was not uncommon for a Mechanic to lime around the bus stand to hear how the bus he recently overhaul sounded, and was proud to let others know of his handiwork. This type of dedication is non existent when the only sound that is appreciated is that of the cash register.
    More than scrapping its workshop, the Board should have look at establishing a Base Workshop, where, major items only are overhauled, ie engine, transmissions, differentials, bus bodies etc,and when required , these items obtained by the Main Mechanical Workshop and fitted to the affected, thereby reducing significantly the period of downtime .
    Back in the 60’s and 70’s when a Transport Board bus was prepares for its annual MTW Inspection, it could have been mistaken for a new bus.
    From what we have seen and heard in recent times, it appears as if a structured Preventive Maintenance Programme is no longer in place,and what a shame, for as far back as the early 1960’s The Transport Board had a preventive maintenance programme, modeled on that employed by the British Armed Forces, and was the envy of most other Transport operators on the island.
    It is still my opinion that the Transport Board would be better off sourcing its rolling stock out of the UK, as it had done with great results over the past years.
    The old bus concessionaire, got it right when most of their fleet were 31 and 37 passenger buses, with the larger 60 plus one reserved for the “long haul ‘ routes. It is a crying shame to see a 70 something passenger bus ,during the day and night, running to Fordes Road and other such under subscribed routed ,with a few passenger, mainly pensioners, when a smaller unit would be more economical to operate.
    And what a pity that over the years the Transport Board has allowed two of its former apprentices, who went abroad and became very highly qualified and experienced in the field of transport engineering to come back and snapped up by others.


  47. David | October 31, 2013 at 11:02 AM |
    Are we happy with the performance of the Transport Authority to date?
    …………………………………………………………………………………….
    Like the PM, They do nothing and say nothing.When such are thrust upon you, you have to take it and be happy.


  48. @driver

    by stating u have a family friend who works for wren will let him know that someone in the office is talking out his business, and having such a small office, by deduction that person can be identified DONT U THINK SO?

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