Tensions are boiling over in the public service vehicle (PSV) sector, as the Alliance of Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) threatens to report the Transport Authority to the Ombudsman over allegations of unfair treatment in relation to their representation on its board and unlawful permit suspensions.
However, Minister of Transport and Works Kirk Humphrey has pushed back against these claims, stating that the AOPT’s board representation simply rotated to the other association and urging PSV operators to address the rampant indiscipline within their own ranks before pointing fingers.
Roy Raphael, president of the AOPT, outlined a litany of grievances against the Transport Authority and its director, Ruth Holder, accusing the authority of bias, violating natural justice and crippling the livelihoods of PSV operators.
At the heart of Raphael’s complaint is AOPT’s “removal” from the Transport Authority board. Raphael claims the AOPT fought for a seat on the board and was initially given a two-year term under the previous minister. However, he alleges that the Transport Authority director misinformed the current minister, resulting in AOPT serving only one year, while the rival association was granted three years.
Shared board
“When the new minister came on board, the director told them that the board is shared between two organisations and that we had completed our time, which is not correct,” Raphael said, adding that letters to the minister and Permanent Secretary regarding the matter have gone unanswered.
Humphrey, however, denied any wrongdoing in the board’s composition. He clarified that the Transport Authority Board includes a representative from one of the two PSV organisations on a rotating basis.
“Mr Raphael represented his organisation on the previous board. When that board’s term ended, the other organisation was invited to serve on the new board. There is nothing sinister about this,” Humphrey stated. “The representation rotates and at the end of the current board’s term, his organisation will again have its turn.”
Raphael also levelled serious legal accusations against the Transport Authority director, claiming she acts as “judge and jury” by suspending PSV permits without a proper hearing or the recommendation of the board’s disciplinary committee.
“She can do an investigation and make a recommendation to the board to suspend the permit. She does not have the authority under the law to suspend the permit herself,” Raphael argued. “You cannot be the person who reports an individual and then be the judge at the same time.”
He warned that these unilateral suspensions are having a devastating knock-on effect. With suspension letters copied to insurance companies, operators are returning to find their insurance refused. He noted that recently 12 buses owned by one individual were cancelled by their insurer and kept off the road for an extended period.
Failed correspondence
Raphael also accused the minister of ignoring the AOPT, failing to respond to correspondence and snubbing their recent awards ceremony for PSV workers despite giving a tentative agreement to attend.
Humphrey expressed surprise that these issues were being litigated in the media, stating that he and Raphael have met more than once and would meet again.
“I actually value his viewpoint on many things,” Humphrey said. Regarding the awards ceremony, the minister explained: “I tentatively agreed but another engagement prevented me from attending. I personally and respectfully informed him that I would be unable to make it. He suggested the Friday . . . and I informed him I already had a meeting with the Workers’ Union.”
Humphrey also addressed Raphael’s complaint that the Transport Board met with Transport Augmentation programme (TAP) operators without the AOPT present, noting that the TAP operators themselves requested the meeting and chose their own representatives. “These operators provide services for the Transport Board. There is nothing improper about the Board meeting with them directly to hear their concerns,” the minister said.
He also made reference to the many challenges in the sector stating: “Too many drivers, though certainly not all, fail to observe the rules of the road and the basic standards of decency expected when serving the public.”
He added: “That is one reason we are strengthening our mass transit system and the legislation governing it, so that we can enforce greater discipline on our roads. Mr Raphael also has a responsibility to insist on improved behaviour among the drivers he represents.”
The AOPT president warned that if the minister did not meet with them to resolve these issues, the AOPT would not only go to the Ombudsman and the Prime Minister, but would also escalate the matter to the Regional Transport Association for international backing. (MB)
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