Submitted by Anthony Davis
Transport Board a failing state enterprise
It seems to me that no one cares how and if the lower echelons get to/from their various destinations. We have a transport system which is totally unreliable, and neither the Minister of Transport, nor any of the heads of the private sector transport system is interested in rectifying it.
It is usual now to wait at least two or three hours for a Transport Board bus, and the private transport operators are not helping the situation. The vans/minibuses need to be regulated better where people can go to the vanstand, and expect a van/bus at a particular time, instead of them racing up and down behind each other.
Many people, especially parents/guardians who have children in primary or secondary schools, have to be up at about three in order to prepare their scions/wards for school and get themselves ready for the early bus which leaves their destination – which is usually 5 a.m. – to get to one of the terminals to get a bus to their places of work.
Lo and behold, people get to the terminals about 6 or 7 depending on how long the journey there takes. Can you imagine these same people standing/sitting in the terminals for sometimes three hours? Do you think that their employers will always believe that the bus was late?
I very much doubt it.
The same goes for when the commuters are trying to get home. They get to the terminals, and cannot get a bus home before two or three hours have elapsed. On the other hand one sees buses leaving the said terminals with no more than six persons in them, whereas there are long lines to other destinations which could fill two buses.
What’s the use of sending so many buses for the schoolchildren when many of them are not interested in getting to school? When the bus is called for certain students they ignore it, and then fill up those which are for people who are trying to go about their business.
Then we hear the following at various intervals: Commuters please note that we are having serious challenges with your transport. We do apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Don’t tell that to the commuters!
Take out an ad in the newspapers stating why the system is so broken then, maybe, the employers will start believing their employees. Then we hear a lot of rigmarole about the productivity of the populace. How can they be productive when they arrive at their workplaces already tired and frustrated?
It’s ok for those of you driving around in your high-end vehicles. You have them parked outside your homes, and many of them are being paid for by the said lower echelons of our society for whom many of you don’t give one fig. Can you imagine a single mother leaving home at 4.45 in the morning to head to work, and then returning home after 9 or 10?
Are they super mums?
How much can they help their scions when they are so beat?
They barely have time for a few hours sleep.
Many of the employees in the terminals need some personnel training, because they lack manners. It is disrespectful and downright despicable how those who head the public transport systems treat the commuters.
The populace of this country deserve a much better public transport system – especially seeing that we are splashing out millions of dollars for our 50th anniversary of Independence, and they are paying such horrendous amounts of taxes.
Now the Minister of Transport is saying that there will be more buses on the road soon. I’m very suspicious about anything which has to do with time when it comes to this Government. Soon can mean any time between tomorrow, and more than a year down the road. An example of that is the Minister of the Environment stating that we’ll have anti-environment pollution laws on the statute books soon, and it’s more than a year since that announcement.
He seems to be sidestepping that issue, although that is more important than eating/drinking healthy and exercising.
A year can mean for eternity.
Example: The tax collector’s promise of returning the VAT to its former status within a year after raising it. It’s almost time for the bell to toll, and the VAT is still probably the highest in the Caribbean.
Mr. Minister, school buses usually leave punctually!
It’s the travelling public who need the buses to be punctual, so that they can get to their various destinations early – especially those who have to get to work.
The very next day after the minister’s propaganda visit the bus service was back to its two-hour/three-hour schedule in the Fairchild Street Bus Terminal.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
What Minister Michael Lashley seems to be good at is instructing GM DOug Hoyte of CBC to fire President of the Road Safety Association Sharmane Roland-Bowen from the morning CBC show.
Michael Lashley is also good at building houses at a price that ensures he is well taken care of.
https://www.facebook.com/SupportMiaMottley/videos/1305396986194507/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED
David… If only Mia Mottley could couple her well articulate speeches with some open integrity. I have no confidence in the BLP, but would they do a better job than the DLP, I believe they can. Until Mia Mottley deals with the number one problem of open, transparent, and accountable governance, couple with anticorruption laws, she can talk till the cows come home, I am not going to be convinced that we will have the type of governance that would put Barbados back on track. Too much lies have been told. Too much deceit has been shown. Too much greediness is in the eyes of those waiting their turn to get rich.
Mia is a rich lade unlike many others around her. We can only pray she will be concerned about her legacy.
So many accusations about ministers receiving bribes by Bee and Dees and not one single strand of proof offered. Are these invisible transactions?
“So many accusations about ministers receiving bribes by Bee and Dees and not one single strand of proof offered. Are these invisible transactions?”
@David,
I would like to know how these ministers are hiding their supposedly ill gotten bribes and “commissions”.
We need a Canadian investigative journalist on the case.
@Hants
What we need are a few civic minded Barbadians to do their duty.
David
What exactly do you expect civic minded Bimmers to do?
The opposition leader and her members present at the press conference asked some of the important questions we want answers to…….we also need updates on sugar,water,potholes,qeh,etc……..but….no one in govt is listening or prepared to answer.
So what is the next step to save Bim?
David Simmons popped out talking about corruption in government, a former chief justice would not pop out unless he had personal knowledge about such things as bribery, is there no part of the CID that can launch an investigation into the bank accounts of the ministers.
Maybe Caswell knows.
Mia would know…that’s why I wont trust her, she will never be honest with the people, they are all gearing up with their mouths filled with lies and promises to get votes in the next year…..all of them……they know bajans are gullible and easily fooled.
Chuckle……..Americans just elected Trump…..but…..Bimmers are gullible and easily fooled……hmmm….what words to use for americans then is the question???
David January 14, 2017 at 4:48 PM #
Very valid point.
What legacy is that David? This woman knows how to open up a can of worms. She can talk all she like, the DLP only surpasses the nonsense that the BLP did by just two or three furlongs. Both of the parties cannot call one another anything lest it is thrown right back in their faces. Mia has the best opportunity of her life to come different, come clean, implement, revamp, change, and operate with a level of transparency never before seen in government. Will she make government operations and freedom of information an accountable system? I really do not know.
Vincent…there are 300 million plus people in the US…45 million jackasses elected Trump, the otgphers wanted no part of him…period, that’s not bad for 3/4 billion people having just 45 million idiots in their midst, some of them my relatives, who am laughing my ass off at right now as we speak, cause they just realized they made a collossal mistake, being uppity. …lol
The US has term limits and can get rid of their dummy in 4 years or sooner through impeachment or be stupid again and keep him another 4 years until they are finally rid of him for good….but representatives for different states and cities rotate in and out of the house and senate,
Barbados has no term limits and St. John has had the same political representatives from the same political party for 50 years, while the quality of life of the people is steadily degrading..
Now tell me, between 45 million Americans who recently elected Trump and the people of St. John and other parishes, if idiocy can actually be measured….whom would you call the bigger idiots.
History has proven that the bus service is very unreliable under a DLP or BLP Government. It is very unlikely, that a DLP or BLP Government would set performance targets for the bus service (e.g. a 90% punctuality target). And ensure that the management of the bus service is held accountable for achieving the performance targets.
A reliable bus service may lead to fewer cars on the road and reduce traffic jams; air pollution; and illnesses that may arise from air pollution. A reliable bus service will also improve a person’s quality of life or work/life balance, e.g. he or she may spend more time with his or her family instead of spending long hours waiting for the bus.
https://nakeddeparture.com/2017/01/14/barbados-has-13-billion-in-national-debt/
If what Grenville is saying here is true…why is Mia not saying anything about it.
https://www.barbadostoday.bb/2017/01/14/fresh-calls-for-election/
Is this all Mia has to say, she sits in psrliament and is privy to lots of information and should be saying more.
If this amount of 13 billion dollar debt is real, any government being elected in the next year do know that the island will never be able to repay this debt in this lifetime, nor the next….right.
Mia and her gang already know the answers to the questions she is asking. Her challenge is….IF she formed a government tomorrow, what would she do? To dodge this answer by saying “well we en sure exactly the situation” is BS.
@Carl Moore
You must be disappointed about the demise of Morris? You and Harold would have put in a lot of work!
It is evident government is faced with an increasing inability to manage and finance the island’s transport system and should examine the possibility of active private sector participation or consider the privatization of transport infrastructure.
Firstly, Barbados is currently experiencing “fiscal problems.” We must admit that government’s financing of a number of social services is rapidly becoming a burden on public finances and has contributed significantly to accumulated deficits and unsustainable debt.
Secondly, state owned enterprises, for some reason, often incur higher operational costs than their private sector counterparts. This fact is clearly evident at the Transport Board. Whereas under conditions of bus fare regulated by government rather than market forces and not being allowed to access duty free concessions or purchase new vehicles, private PSV operators have been able to keep, in operation, vehicles as old as 20 years; the Transport Board over the years, has continued to decommission units that are at least 10 years old and still operational. This is contrary to what occurred previously, whereby, for example, TB decommissioned 1960 Leyland Tiger Cubs during the early 1990s after 30 years of service.
Unfortunately, it is not a priority for TB’s management to improve its operating costs, since such inefficiencies are essentially subsidized by public funds (e.g. financed/subsidized by government through loans or revenue earned from other public sector entities).
Essentially, Barbados is faced with a situation where government is forced to subsidize TB’s operating expenses, management’s inefficiencies and finance its operational deficits (TB incurs a loss every year), which leads to an increase in subsidies and, by extension, the fiscal deficit and government’s debt all in an effort to maintain bus fare at $2.00.
Perhaps now is time to contemplate the advantages of privatizing the Transport Board.
Apparently, a restructuring process being undertaken by One Caribbean Media and “the company has decided to change the leadership of the Editorial Department to effectively meet the expectations of a changing public. As a result, Roy Morris, Editor-in-Chief, will be relinquished from his position effective, January 20.”
“(TB incurs a loss every year), which leads to an increase in subsidies and, by extension, the fiscal deficit and government’s debt all in an effort to maintain bus fare at $2.00.”
Both governments do thps to maintain a cadre of political pimps and yardfowls at taxpayers expense in 5 year increments, the taxpayers are maintaining a nonfunctioning transportation system while it’s liabilities’ keeping climbing through stagnant personal injury cases clogging up the supreme court…….I heard one attorney bitterly lamenting the many cases he has alone that are not moving beccuse CGI’s lawyers maliciously refuse to see these cases brought to a close and the court system, chief justice Gibson and the judges seem to be at a loss to put pressure on dimwitted Adriel Niitwit the attorney general to end this collossal waste of the court’s time and taxpayer’s money and bring closure to cases……through changes to the process that would end this blatant misuse and abuse of the court system by CGI amd othe insurance companies.
That is the scam both governments have been maintaining against the taxpayers with CGI Insurance and Peter Harris for over 15 years, destroying the system…….there are at least 150 personal injury lawyers in Barbados and many of them can tell you thst each have dozens of cases that are not moving through the system beccuse of this scam, dome cases nearky 15 years old…..effectively killing any equity the bus ststem hadm the buses on thevroad look raggedy and nit riad worthy, DBLP are 2 very destructive political parties and have been for decades, no matter how well intention they pretend that the parties were started.
How long do either of these vicious, greedy colluding fools think it will last…that toxic relationship with CGI and Harris has now returned to bite them all, members of both political parties and hurt the people and country and totally destroyed the transportation system…. both political parties should be thrown out of parliament….permanently as punishment.
Any progressive state knows that bus fares have to be adjusted to keep the system operational at least every 10 years, 2 dollar bus fares are unsustainable, taxes are raised on everything else regularly including food……. bus fares should be at least $2.50 for another 10 years….and that should have been done 10 years ago.
If they cannot find money to save the transport board, they will have no choice but to privatize….they call colluded with the private sector to destroy it anyway.
“IF she formed a government tomorrow, what would she do? To dodge this answer by saying “well we en sure exactly the situation” is BS.”
They will sit on their asses allowing the degradation to continue while blaming their tag team partners, the previous government, for the degradation to the island and people that they too had all their hands in creating.
None of them are innocent and no one should go soft on any of these political parties and their toxic members,
@WW&C
Many of us would not want to admit it, but Barrow “eff up” the Transport Board when, during the election campaign for the 1976 general elections, he “abolished” stage fares (fare according to distance travelled) and IMPLEMENTED a STANDARDIZED fare of 25¢ for all routes, which was obviously a political gimmick.
In favour of soliciting votes and political expediency, Barrow neglected to consider the implications his actions would have on TB. At that time, with a significant reduction in revenue, operating costs would not have been compensated by existing revenue. As a result, transport would have to be financed through an increase in subsidies.
Perhaps this was the genesis of the problems TB is currently experiencing.
Your statement would ring true if many of our state agencies were not in a financial comatose state under both administrations.
I knew that would be the general response.
And “your statement would ring true if” the topic was “Public Owned Enterprises Hit a Pothole,” where ALL government owned entities were UNDER SCRUTINY.
However, this “discussion” is SPECIFIC to the Transport Board and the transport system/infrastructure, and NOT other state owned organisations. And as such, my comments are confined within this context.
Additionally, if you want to factor in the other agencies, you must first examine what policies, as implemented by BOTH administrations, which were responsible “for many of our state agencies (being) in a financial comatose,” because the variables involved will obvious differ per organization.
Let us agree to disagree. There is a rotten ethos that pervades how we manage public finances in Barbados. Whether we compartmentalised the discussion or go broadbased is of no difference to distilling the issues.
Art…I would have been too young to understand the dynamics at play with transport board in 1976….but successive governments both of them, are responsible for not making the requisite changes and adjustments and are both to be held accountable for the bus system’s present total destruction.
In doing so Art, it would have cemented the transport board’s viability, equity and profitablity for 30 years into the future and beyond, instead, both givernments used it as a vehicle for vote buying and various schemes and scams over the last few decades, to add insult to taxpayer’s injury they both embarked on using incompetence and neglect to manage the bus system.. …hence it’s destruction.
Truth being that all the calls in the world to Privatize govt assets bajans would not find to be favorable to their daily existence
The BLP can try flying all they want once again the idea of privatization but like the last election has shown that idea would hand them a defeat
Bajans are asking for change but not a change that would effect or run a risk of them having to closed a door of convenience
The reality being that if bajans have to choose between paying additional tax and privatization the former would give a higher preference than the latter
the BLP like the Republican party in the USA have no plans or idea on how to make change that can be tolerable and bearable for the citizen but run on political rhetoric hoping that such rhetoric would be sufficient to satisfy the many.
Yes after eight years of not able to produce a worthwhile plan for change it is evident that the BLP only plan is to hand the citizen a Privatization MOU which would go down to resounding defeat and cost overruns for the blp at the polls,
Ac sit listened with baited breathed and intrigue for the BLP alternative answers for the barbados economy
And some of us are waiting for the government to implement promises made in its 2013 Manifesto. Here is just one:
#packofyardfowls
Well Well & Consequences January 15, 2017 at 9:24 AM #
“Art…I would have been too young to understand the dynamics at play with transport board in 1976….”
@ WW&C
I would have been too young at the time as well, since I had just entered secondary school.
However, I was able to make a conclusion after reading all the available information on the Transport Board.
Over the years politicians have created within the minds of Barbadians, a mentality that “anything goes once they get a vote.”
This allows, for example, a woman to be promiscuous and at 20 years of age, have 5 children with no real means of supporting herself or the children, but could break into and “commandeer” a government unit without suffering any consequences.
Or people to squat on other people’s property and insist government should give them the land. Recently, two St. Lucia brothers were fighting each other for ownership of land in the Belle, on which they were squatting.
Or individuals from regional territories adamant that, after being deported, they would return to Barbados, and could actually “set up shop” in Halls Road only to be revered by the media.
Or vendors believing it is their right to sell anywhere without a valid license, leave the environment dirty with coconut shells and rotten vegetables, only to cry “poor black man” when challenged by the authorities.
@ ac
We do not expect anything else from you other than to “sing for your supper,” by appeasing the DLP that pays you to defend their ineptness.
After 9 years of being unable to effectively and efficiently manage the Barbados economy; consistently running a high fiscal deficit; an increase in debt without anything to show for it; failed economic policies; depletion of the foreign reserves; no economic growth; showing contempt for critics; a disunited DLP; all culminating into consecutive credit rating downgrades.
Taking these and a myriad of other issues this inept DLP administration has proven they are unable to deal with, since they “have no plans or ideas” either. Hence, we can likewise mention:
“DLP like the Republican party in the USA have no PLANS or IDEA on how to make change that can be tolerable and bearable for the citizen but run on political rhetoric hoping that such rhetoric would be sufficient to satisfy the many” and increase their hopes of winning the 2018 general elections.
Art…ya got ministers doing and saying as they like and not doing the work they are being paid to do setting that example…ya got business people colluding with ministers robbing taxpayers, robbing the treasury for decades, commiting crimes…without consequences…setting that example for everyone to see.
The rot starts at the top, when the head is rotten…the whole body is stink and decayed.
Cut off the rotten heads….fix the top, the leaders in society, make them accountable, more responsible and transparent, less corrupt and ya will get a trickle down effect. There will then be no need to complain about the poor and unfortunate miseducated in the society who are only used by the same leaders as votes…each and every election for the last 10 elections. ..50 years.
Do you see the leaders doing anything to help those who lack the knowledge do anything to change their circumstances,
ACs…is the current government not in the process of selling a state entity, the oil terminal…one by one they are either selling all taxpayer’s share or whole sale of every taxpayer owned and funded entity..,13 billion is a lot of debt…no government in the smaller islands can pay down that amount.
@ ac January 15, 2017 at 9:57 AM
“Truth being that all the calls in the world to Privatize govt assets bajans would not find to be favorable to their daily existence
The BLP can try flying all they want once again the idea of privatization but like the last election has shown that idea would hand them a defeat..”
Truth? What truth? The truth to you, ac, is like shining a light in the face of the devil.
If privatization is so unpalatable why aren’t you railing against the underhand privatization deal between your deceitful lying party and SOL? Why sell a readymade cash cow for a few buttons to cover up the exposed ass of a completely incompetent administration?
The whole privatization programme is now out of the hands of any political administration, whether DLP or the imminent BLP. It is now a non-negotiable instruction from the IMF.
Now you don’t want to be identified with the party which not only took away free university education from the children of the poor but also renege on its promise of “NO Privatization” under the DLP.
Soon you would be distancing yourself from that ‘Devalued’ Lying Party as your Mickey mouse dollar would not worth the paper with which Trinidadians wipe their runny asses.
Can’t you hear the election bell ringing in your ear? This time there is no little school boy to swallow Fumble’s ‘hollowed’ lies of ignorance.
Miller what you squabbling about. The sale of the terminal is not a convincing selling point as you would want to indicate that govt is on a wild goose selling spree of govt assests.
But again i reiterate that the BLP has no plan of action ready as an alternative to present govts policies.
Mia and her gang hopefully would soon come to the realisation that the country wanting change is dependent on the kind of change being offered and not one that only have trivial crticisms at all levels
@ ac January 15, 2017 at 4:22 PM
You are just one dirty lying pimp (dlp) of a hypocrite.
You have established yourself as the archenemy of ‘Privatization’ and neither David nor the miller would allow you to swing your weathercock mouth elsewhere.
It is your right to wallow in shit like a pit toilet crab but when it comes to serious business in determining the economic survival of the country you ought to take a back seat and watch things pan out as forecasted.
Why would a government, unless totally out to sea with only the devil’s boat to rescue it from electoral wipeout, would want to sell its only cash cow still providing some milk of economic stability by way of keeping prices down in the face of rampant inflation caused by increasing taxes and other fiscal measures resulting in reduced spending power for the working class?
Which ready cash cow is next on the privatization block in the DLP’s grand fire sale? Which would bring in quick fixes of forex?
GAIA? Certainly not CBC!
@Miller
Has the FTC approve the BNTLC transaction? Another strategic asset gone?
@ David January 15, 2017 at 4:58 PM
Jeff C would argue in digressively deflecting legalese that the sale and operation of the BNTCL does not fall under the FTC’s ambit unless there is specific legislation to that effect.
@Miller
It was reported in the traditional media that the transaction is subject to regulatory approval expect in the first quarter.
@ David January 15, 2017 at 5:15 PM
Which regulatory agency would be involved here?
The same Ministry of Energy that sets the price of fuel at the pump?
It’s time an expert like Jeff C chimes in and set the record straight instead of blind men shooting in the dark at a bunch of dead crabs in a barrel of water.
@ millertheanunnaki January 15, 2017 at 5:29 PM
Sorry David, that should be a ‘barrel of oil”. A more sticky substance to escape from.
LoL!!
@Miller
Yes, his intervention is to be encouraged on this one. This is a biggie.
>
Look miller you can holler and scream all you want. However the sale of that terminal does not negatively impact a significant percentage of barbadians livelihoods a fact that goes beyond your ability to grasp and an area of concern which must be given full thought if full privatisation is to be implemented
The Blp would be walking on a slippy slope this late in the game if there only alternative is privatisation
However given that the blp has not offered a differening idea it is a sure bet that the blp is banking that the dollar devalue and the the Imf makes a call for faster abd harsher policies that would improved the economy which in their mind would open the door with an easing and understanding for taking the message of Privatization to the people
@ ac January 15, 2017 at 5:34 PM
“Look miller you can holler and scream all you want. However the sale of that terminal does not negatively impact a significant percentage of barbadians livelihoods a fact that goes beyond your ability to grasp and an area of concern which must be given full thought if full privatisation is to be implemented..”
Ac, the jenny ass why not take off that weave which makes you look like a mad mule and let your brain breathe in a wisp of commonsense?
Can you name any product or service sold to “a significant percentage of Barbadians” which does not involve, directly or indirectly, the use of finished petroleum products?
The cost of petroleum products like gasoline, diesel and fuel oil is included in the cost of electricity and transportation.
So joker, who do you think would be bearing the cost of any increases in the price of those products to reflect SOL’s expected ROI?
Everybody does not use the facilities of the GAIA, so according to your line of reasoning that plant ought to be up on the chopping block too. Next!
Hope you havec use a very thick brush in your line of reasoning because wether or not the terminal is sold as have seen over the years there are high and lows in the oil market that affects everyone world wide . Historically products derived from oil has ways been affected by market cost .
However miller even if your argument is true an adjustment can be made by the consumer to regulate consumption vs. spend which will over time give a certain amount of savings to the country.
The difference being that if GAIA is sold to a Private investor the possibility of large lay offs is real with a reality that many in that entity would not find any other job in that area of work
So tell Mia instead of wishing and hoping something drastic to occur she and her members need to be drafting real alternatives that goes way beyond selling barbados assets.
Although she might be interested in CIB programs
AC is correct. No competitive political entity is putting forth an alternative policy program.
The standard 60 pages of BS including almost every conceivable idea, under the title “Manifesto”, is equally unacceptable.
The comparison between BNTCL and GAIA is illogical. Privatization is privatization. Is GAIA that poorly run and inefficient that jobs could be cut en mass? And are those functions that specialized?
The bigger issue for me, is Privatization is happening in a vacuum. How can you get the best price for assets, when the sale is happening in a vacuum?
It is happening in a vaccum because the government is operating by stealth. There is still no clear bailout policy after all these years. All the projects government has communicated will help to kickstart the economy remain stuck in the pipeline.
@NorthernObserver
Besides the standard 60 page manifesto what other fool proof way is there for the Opposition to counter with alternative proposals.
David
Besides the standard 60 page manifesto what other fool proof way is there for the Opposition to counter with alternative proposals.
Now that is the 60 million dollar that the BLP must answer which they had eight years to formulated but rather find time to pick holes and undermine the nations interest
The ball was in the opposition court for eight years and how they choose to handle it is there problem
And on top of it all, there is this CLICO con game that is costing the taxpayers…..will the taxpayers be repaid this money by Leroy Parris and his gang of thieves.
http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/92527/clico-surety
How unfair is this that the bajan taxpayers are the ones now saddled with paying off 56 million dollars in money stolen from CLICO policyholders, how much of this will Leroy Parris former CEO of CLICO, David Thompson’s bosom and Fruendel Stuart’s “esteemed friend the non leper” whom every politician and government minister wanted to be seen in photographs posing with post election 2008………..and Lawrence Duprey, former head of CLICO, pay back the bajan taxpayers for their theft of policyholders money…..to the treasury.
This is the penalty taxpayers…the people of Barbados…… pay for politician’s and government minister’s personal and questionable relationships with thieves and crooks….unknown to taxpayers.
ACs….the present government does not have the intelligence or resources to pay down a 13 billion dollar national debt…neither does any other new government entering the parliament. …yall are failures, so do not polish up on any new or old lies and empty promises that none of you will be able to keep….all of you are in duck’s guts.
It worked out well…for the people who are intelligent and can see through the lies and deception…lol…yall liars.
ac January 16, 2017 at 6:27 AM #
Now that is the 60 million dollar that the BLP must answer which they had eight years to formulated but rather find time to pick holes and undermine the nations interest. The ball was in the opposition court for eight years and how they choose to handle it is there (THEIR) problem.
@ ac
It is absolutely unbelievable the ac consortium of yard-fowls responded re: the above comments. However, although lacking in common sense, in THEORY, they are correct, especially if you were to look at those comments from the perspective of Barbados’ current situation.
The DLP had FOURTEEN (14) years in Opposition and NINE (9) years as the ruling party, a CUMULATIVE total of TWENTY-THREE (23) YEARS, to FORMULATE plans for taking Barbados forward.
Yet, during their time as Opposition, the DLP was UNABLE to PRESENT any CREDIBLE ALTERNATIVE POLICIES. Probably this was as a result of David Thompson saying “he will NOT help the BLP by ISSUING his PLANS and PROPOSED policies.”
Their nine (9) years as the ruling party has seen the Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados PUBLICALLY ADMITTING their ECONOMIC POLICIES, e.g. Medium Term Fiscal & Medium Term Development Strategies 2010-2014, as well the 2013 Fiscal Consolidation Program, have all FAILED to ACHIEVE the DESIRED OBJECTIVES.
These facts are evidenced by the 18 consecutive credit rating downgrades the island has received from the regional and international credit rating agencies; the only regional territory that has not experience significant economic growth; an UNEXPLAINED depletion of foreign reserves; running a consistent high fiscal deficit; doubling of the debt; Barbadians experiencing difficulties in receiving their income tax & VAT refunds since 2012 and sickness, unemployment, maternity and invalidity benefits; breakdown of public services (transport, water, garbage collection, health care, social services provided by NAB, UDC & RDC); rapidly deteriorating roads; people applying for a police certificate of character having to QUEUE as EARLY as 4 am; and a myriad of other problems.
Could you imagine that, in the year 2017, an individual applying for a driver’s permit has to go to the Licensing Authority’s offices in the Pine and then to Oistins, Christ Church?
Or an UNEMPLOYED (my emphasis) individual has to register for unemployment benefits at the NIS office in Culloden Road, and then has to trek to the Employment Bureau in Warrens?
Wuh shiite, if the DLP had TWENTY-THREE (23) years to FORMULATE POLICIES and all of this has happened, perhaps we should expect worst from the BLP after 9 years in Opposition?
“Now that is the 60 million dollar that AC and the DLP must answer.”
@ Artax
Boss, as you well know, there is no difference between the BLP and the DLP, except for the individual personalities of the brass bowls currently defined within the two respective political classes.
Why you get into these fracas with the chief JA spokesperson of the DLP (unless you are holding a counter position ‘you-know-where’,) …. continues to boggle the mind…
It seems to be a Barbados thing….
After over twenty years at the leadership of sport in Barbados, the president of the Barbados Olympic body says that he does not know what to do to create success in sport, and that it is somebody else’s fault (the public sector) that nothing is in place at the end of his tenure…
…sounds a lot like Froon….
Fool-proof and politicians do not mix well, largely because unlike senior management in the for profit or non-profit sector or the civil service, they are not subject to periodic reviews; annual or otherwise. Hence the political horizon to achieve anything is ‘before the next election’, which is usually 4-5 years. Not within the next year or 2.
Hence why they love the manifesto. It covers all, with minimal specificity, they will always find an out.
The fool proof would be annual reporting, but then one would have to be willing to hold annual elections for the voters to determine pass/fail. And the plans to the public would have to be split….that which we will seek to achieve in 1 year, in 2 years and our plans for 5 years.
This is further why, at a very minimum, public bodies like the NIS and the BNOCL et al, should file annual public reports, within 3 months of their year end. As it stands, without those, it opens the door for any new government to claim things are worse than they “were led to believe” and play the blame game. Which benefits nobody but their party supports, and keeps the BS rhetoric flowing, avoiding any accountability beyond the election result.
@Bushie
Unfortunately it is not a Bajan thing alone, it happens everywhere. Last September, in the Legislative Assembly, the Premier of Ontario, whose party has held power for 13 consecutive years, blamed the opposition for rising Electricity costs (they have risen over 400% in the period) due to the state the now opposition left the power industry in; some 13 years before.
The party faithful LOVE this shiite.
LOL @ Northern Observer
You are correct, but nobody does it quite like we do….
WAIT!!!
…If Canadian electricity rates have gone up 400% and we are owned by Canadians … do you think that our rates may be spared such a trend…?
The recent pronouncement by the Transport Board that they intended to “resurrect” a number of buses from the grave yard which were out of service for a considerable time, could spell danger for the traveling public down the road, if not carried out in a prescribed manner.
The replacement of an Engine, and/or Transmission and / or a rear axle assembly , are not all there is to making a discarded bus roadworthy again. There are many smaller chassis components which can deteriorate considerably when a unit is laid up for long periods,and many of these components are mainly part of the important Braking System. By the very nature of compressed air, which is the medium employed to actuate the braking system , water via condensation is produced. When a unit is left idle for long periods, this condensation causes the interior of the ferrous metal brake pipes to corrode, and the aluminium components in the various braking valves, to sulphate. Neither of which can be seen during an external eye floor inspection.
A similar situation applies to the almost as critical Hydraulic Steering System
Any on these components could fail at anytime.
Even to present these buses to the Licensing Authority for inspection after these major items have been fitted, since these “resurrected” units would have missed previous MTW inspections, is not a safety guarantee, as the Licensing Authority’s Inspection, is a basic Road Worthiness Inspection, and their only guarantee is , ” At time of inspection only.”
@K,A Coward
Interesting contribution.
On Mon, Jan 16, 2017 at 8:21 PM, Barbados Underground wrote:
>
Those were ONTARIO rates, not Canadian. Emera doesn’t operate in Ontario. And Govt of Ontario decided to sell of piece of the electricity provider, Ontario Hydro; to help ease the massive debt. Sound familiar?
“The recent pronouncement by the Transport Board that they intended to “resurrect” a number of buses from the grave yard which were out of service for a considerable time, could spell danger for the traveling public down the road, if not carried out in a prescribed manner”
And when management dies not use that “prescribed manner” people who get injured or killed on these future refurbished buses…the insurance company for trassport board CGI Insurance….will not want to pay and keep dozens of cases tied up, clogged up in the supreme court for over a decades.
It would be good to know if in the last 8 to 10 years, if any buses were taken from the Mangrove “graveyard”, refurbished and returned to the roads to endanger the travelling publc’s lives…..I saw somewhere that no new buses have been bought for the last 15 years.
What a horrible and dangerous mess.
Well Well & Consequences January 16, 2017 at 7:00 PM #
“I saw somewhere that no new buses have been bought for the last 15 years.”
@ WW&C
In 2006, (11 years ago) Transport Board bought 65 Mercedes Benz OH Marcopolo Torino omnibuses.
Art…tell me that those are not the raggedy looking buses on the road now, many without fenders or brakelights…..what did they do with the 65 new buses.
They were told 20 year agos that those buses were crap, stop buying them.
David January 14, 2017 at 1:10 PM #
So many accusations about ministers receiving bribes by Bee and Dees and not one single strand of proof offered. Are these invisible transactions?
David @ Buying VOTES,is that not a bribes , Dennis Lowe 5 Million$ in his mother dead bank account? Leroy Parris CLICO David PM?
Ministers and other accounts of funds PANAMA papers? Yacht club dues and no taxes paid by?
Land Fraud kick back at the UDC?
Land Fraud at NHC
Speaker of the House
Clerk of the Court setting back cases,
50 Million from Columbia ?
Cahill how many was on that deal.
Patrick Todd on Baxters road,
Let me stop for now I may have gotten one wrong?
COW and BIZZY buildings
BWA building?
Houses up at the airport?
Sam Lords
FOUR SEASONS
HYATT
BUTCH SANDLES
SIR DAVID SIMMONS HIGH COURT, LEASE LAND FROM SIR CHELTENHAM FOR 99 YEARS?
DID WE MISS ANY OR YOU CAN ADD TO THIS LIST OF POTHOLES,
Well Well & Consequences January 16, 2017 at 7:53 PM #
“Art…tell me that those are not the raggedy looking buses on the road now, many without fenders or brakelights…..what did they do with the 65 new buses. They were told 20 year ago that those buses were crap, stop buying them.”
@WW&C
Yes, some of those “raggedy looking buses on the road now” may include the Mercedes Marcopolo units bought in 2006. But you should agree that the drivers must take some responsibility for the condition of the buses.
Over the years, government and Transport Board have made some terrible decisions in purchasing buses. In 1992, for example, the then Minister of Transport ordered a number of Leyland DAF Utic buses that were not suited for Barbados’ roads. The company closed months after the units were purchased.
Got ya Art….the bus drivers are reckless most of them but I understand that they are expected to leave the bus terminals and make it as far away and back to St. Philip and St. LUCY in one hour, that includes time to drop off and pick up passengers, some dont even stop at the bus stops to pick up people, many drive recklessly and injure passengers….then CGI Insurance refuses to pay compensation to these injured people, but something gotta give.
…..and as is usual for incompetent and neglectful governments, they just left the buses, bad management and reckless driving, the whole situation to just deteriorate.
We tend to used the words ‘Refurbished and Re-conditioned” very loosely .There is no known programme presently undertaken in Barbados,as far as I can recall ,where any type of vehicle could be deemed to have been refurbished,and certainly those so-call reconditioned vehicles coming out of Japan, cannot or should not, be described as Reconditioned by any stretch of the imagination.
During my very brief stay with London Transport Executive, I was able to observe buses being completely refurbished at their Chiswicks Works, where the vehicle was completely stripped of all its components and rebuilt using a combination of reconditioned and new parts.
The same applied to a British Army Base Workshop, where hundreds of vehicles of similar type are collected, placed on an assembly line, completely strip down, and then rebuilt using new and refurbished components. At the end of the assembly line ,the units are in a more reliable condition than when they first left the original manufacturers plant, as this time all of the reconditioning work to the major assemblies and fitting of components on the assembly line have all been carried out by highly trained technicians.
As a product of the Transport Board Workshop, it is my opinion that if the Transport Board had stuck to the Preventative Maintenance Program which the mechanical pioneers of the Transport Board had adopted in the early 1960’s, there would be fewer abandoned buses lining the fence at Weymouth or Resting-In-Pieces at Mangrove.
When UCAL was formed , it should have been, to refurbish these major assemblies, i.e Engines, Transmissions , Differentials, Bodies etc, and leave the day to day running repairs and maintenance, including preparation for MTW inspection, to its own inhouse workshop.
When ya hear restoration, the mind tends to conjure up refurbishment, it does not stop to think of the incompetence associated with the transport board’s inept management or both governments inefficient handling of each and every taxpayer funded entity, right away.
With proper Preventive Maintenance the age alone of a unit is not the overriding factor to change that unit.
I worked for a company in Barbados which has a large fleet of vehicles, many of which are very specialised. The criteria used to retire any of these units ….. were any two of the following factors:-
(a) Age of unit
(b) Cumulative mileage
(c) Cost of Maintenance.
Having adopted a very rigid Preventive Maintenance Programme, many of these units were still in service after 20 years, and drove out on their own steam , eventually when retired and sold.
The management of that company demanded a monthly Fleet Availability of 90% , which was at times exceeded, but never fell below 88%.
All due to Preventative Maintenance and a knowledgeable and dedicated maintenance staff.
K.A. Coward January 16, 2017 at 10:54 PM #
If only successive govts had followed this common sense approach our transport system would not be in this condition.
Usefull to also restate that the private operatives have buses that are in excess of twenty years old and are kept functioning by as stated above a proper preventative maintenance programme.
@ Vincent
K.A Coward was operating under a TQM philosophy that focused on performance and customer needs.
If you can get the Government to adopt any such SYSTEM of governance, then you would quickly see similar results. However the bunch of THIEVES currently in parliament (on both sides) would NEVER adopt such a philosophy when they can currently do as they like….
Have you EVER heard any political party promise to hold a forensic audit of the books and PROSECUTE any wrong-doers that they replace…?
…they are all of the same shiite political class, and operate the same dishonest way…
It is the responsibility of brass bowls BAJANS to IMPOSE such governance on their leaders.
But wunna ain’t worth what Paddy shot at….
Bush Tea January 17, 2017 at 11:01 AM #
Nothing can be said as facts are facts.
Perhaps the Transport Board can start looking at United States manufactured buses,where the life span can be extended beyond that which is now obtainable with the Brazil units.
In today’s Nation we read of a former Chairman of the Transport Board, asking for the present board members of the Transport Board to be replaced with persons who are skilled in Finance, Commerce and Management skills.
In addition there should be a plan to replace 30 units annually, and ensure that local agents have a dependable inventory to supply replacement parts for vehicles purchased abroad,what ever that means.
Unless the Management skills mentioned above, include a Road Transport Engineer,and not just any Mechanical Engineer, who will be versed in the implementation and practice of Preventative Maintenance, then we are just spinning top in mud,as we have done for the past 20/30 years.