AOPT submits plan for new routes in St Andrew

The Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) has submitted a new transport proposal to the Ministry of Transport and Works, aimed at improving bus services in St Andrew, where residents have faced long-standing challenges with public transport.

AOPT Chairman Roy Raphael told Barbados TODAY that a series of new routes and other recommendations were presented to the ministry to resolve the ongoing transport issues. The proposal came after consulting frustrated residents and operators in the Transport Augmentation Programme (TAP), the scheme for private sector minibuses and route taxis to operate alongside the public bus service.

“We are suggesting that rather than depending heavily on services out of Bridgetown, additional buses should operate from areas like Oistins and Speightstown,” Raphael said.

He also recommended the creation of two new routes to alleviate the burden on the existing network.

Most people catch bypass routes, so we suggested moving a bus from Speightstown to St Andrew’s Church via the Speightstown/ABC Highway connection to Rock Hall. Currently, there is a Rock Hall bus that travels from Speightstown to Rock Hall, St Peter,” he explained.

Raphael added that another route could pass through Warrens, which he described as a key transport hub.

AOPT also proposed that a bus should travel from Oistins to Shorey Village via the ABC Highway. Raphael noted that the organisation is considering existing buses to assist in these connections, emphasising the importance of improving accessibility in rural parishes.

The AOPT hopes to launch the new routes in October on a trial basis, with a comprehensive review after six months to assess the impact on residents’ lives.

Raphael suggested that fast-tracking permits for TAP operators would be essential, given the current shortage of buses at the Transport Board.

He stressed the need for the Transport Board to support the initiative: “We have persons willing to come on board, but they are waiting for permits to increase the number of buses on these routes.”

The AOPT boss was critical of the state-owned Transport Board’s long-standing failure to deliver efficient services to rural parishes, particularly St Andrew, arguing that the situation is unfair to residents and that immediate action is needed to relieve the pressure on the Bridgetown route.

While St Andrew is the focus of this proposal, Raphael highlighted that other areas, including Rendezvous Gardens, Forde’s Road, and Eden Lodge, also require improved transport services, with residents calling for AOPT’s assistance, he said.

Raphael has highlighted these areas currently lacking dedicated Transport Board services, including Bush Hall and the Ivy in St Michael, suggesting that merging and extending routes could better serve these communities.

The Transport Board ceded control of these lucrative short-haul routes to urban districts mostly in St Michael, St James and Christ Church to the privately owned route taxis and minibuses in 1992 at the height of the International Monetary Fund-driven structural adjustment programme under the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford administration.

shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb