Two items of news reported in traditional media in the last 48 hours attracted the attention of the blogmaster. The first report in the Nation newspaper with the title – ‘Strong Concerns’ about BL&P call – highlighted a concern by lawyer Tricia Watson about the BL&P asking for a rate increase and accused them of hiding information from the public
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The following video may suggest many things to different people. What is suggests to the blogmaster is a lawlessness and indiscipline that is getting close to mainstream behaviour. A situation where authorities seem helpless in the eyes of the public to curb the rot. A situation where a sub element in society has taken civil society hostage. In fact this
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“There’s a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,There’s a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, a hole. Then mend it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,Then mend it, dear Henry, dear Henry, mend it…” – Nursery Rhyme During the Estimates Debate last week the decision by the government to purchase electric buses was identified as one of the
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For anyone searching for comic relief during the stressful times we have to endure these days, especially with COVID 19 about, tune in to Public Account Committee (PAC) Hearings. Recordings are available online on Facebook, YouTube, Barbados Parliament websites- you have no excuse to not avail yourself of this stress buster. The PAC under the chairmanship of Opposition Leader Bishop
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It would appear that our citizens and residents will first have the option of travelling within the Caribbean, as and when Coronavirus restrictions are lifted. As we are now in the traditional prolonged softer summer season, it also appears to be more logical that our tourism planners and policymakers will focus, at least part of their efforts on promoting this
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The PSV sector continues to be of interest in the COVID 19 period. For four decades due to neglect by the authorities the sector has been allowed to fuel a negative sub culture mainly linked to greed and corruption. The reasons have been detailed in blogs and other commentary over the years, there is no need to repeat the arguments
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PM Antigua PM Bahamas PM Barbados PM Belize PM Dominica PM Grenada PM St. Lucia PM St. Kitts PM St. Vincent&Grenadines ANU Minister Yearwood CARICOM Deputy Sec-Gen CARICOM Sec-Gen CARICOM Ambassador Comissong ECCAA Chairman — To the Prime Ministers and other leaders of CARICOM… Honourable Ladies and Gentlemen… Proposal: Pan-regional business system, facilitated by pan-regional airline As COVID-19 decimates the
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Submitted by James C. “Jim” Lynch, Captain, retired Good day, Ladies and Gentlemen… I already know that the worst among you will hit the delete key before you get halfway through this email. But if you do so, feel free to acknowledge to yourself that you truthfully don’t really give a pinhead of a damn about your own people, locally
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In the last 24 hours the public of Barbados was apprised of the decision that several suspension letters issued to Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) by the Transport Authority had to be embarrassingly withdrawn. Although Chairman of the Transport Authority Ian Estwick is reported to be tight-lipped why the claw back was made, Chairman of the Association of Public Transport Operators
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Can tourism dependent Caribbean governments learn something from oil producing countries? When relatively small and poor oil producing governments sought to get a fair price for oil – their main source of national revenue – they banded together to negotiate more effectively with the multi-national oil companies and the larger developed nations, which were the major consumers of their oil.
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Press Release from Association of Public Transport Operators (APTO) When the Association of Public Transport Operators (APTO) and the Alliance of Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) held discussions with Government in July last year about the poor financial condition of the PSV sector, specifically minibuses and route taxis, they presented a case for an increase in the bus fare charged
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After trying to avoid the subject intentionally for many years, is it now the time to focus all our attention that any change in the proposed majority beneficial ownership in LIAT (1974) Ltd could bring? Following a whole pile of forays into competing with LIAT over the past couple of decades, which included Carib Express, RedJet, Caribbean Star and Sun,
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We haven’t made the decision if it will go up by a $1.50 or if it will go up by $2, we don’t know now, but certainly all of that has to be accessed to make a decision as to where bus fares will go – Minister of Transport William Duguid During the debate of the 2019 Appropriations Bill and
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I was especially intrigued this week by the action of the PSV employees to strike against commuters because of their dissatisfaction with being compelled to wear uniforms emblazoned with the logo of the Barbados Transport Authority rather than that of the owners of the vehicles, and the ensuing discussion in which I believed I heard, though I might be mistaken,
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One of the enduring problems Barbados has experienced in the last 40 years is the inability of stakeholders to efficiently manage the Public Service Vehicle (PSV) sector. The result of which has seen the rise in a sub culture of an alarming proportion that threatens to destabilise the orderly society Barbados is known. There is the negative ‘underground‘ music
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The following comment was posted by BU commenter Artax in response to a statement by BU that questioned Minister Michael Lashley’s ability to supply an efficient public transportation service in Barbados – Barbados Underground Transport Board has been STRUGGLING for months to put at least 85 units on the road per day. “How did (Lashley) plan to rollout a contingency?”
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Submitted by Anthony Davis The operators of public service vehicles (PSVs) have a counter proposal for the Ministry of Transport which is currently mulling over the installation of security technology and the deployment of personnel on school buses to keep students in check […]
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The following BU blog was posted in 2010 (authored by Inkwell) and remains relevant five years later. It Is The Government’s Fault by David on March 4, 2010 in Blogging Edit Submitted by Inkwell The Government of Barbados is the cause of, is responsible for and should be accountable to the people for the runaway indiscipline being exhibited by operators
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Barbados Underground 