The Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) on Monday condemned route taxi drivers engaging in illegal pick-ups and drop-offs inside Queen’s Park, saying the practice breaches transport laws and poses risks to public safety.
The group’s director of communications and public affairs, Mark Haynes, said the AOPT did not accept the behaviour, stressing that no instruction had been given by the Transport Authority, the alliance or any other authority for public service vehicles to operate inside the park.
“First of all, that is not permitted, and that is manifestly wrong. We do not accept that kind of behaviour. They are circumventing the rules, and the laws must not be circumvented,” Haynes told Barbados TODAY.
He urged those drivers involved to stop immediately, warning of possible legal consequences and broader public safety concerns.
“I would therefore urge all of the workers in the sector who are committing this offence, not all are doing it, but those who are committing this offence to please desist or stop immediately committing this offence because it can lead to prosecution, it can lead to their being reprimanded and it makes no sense circumventing laws in an effort to collect commuters,” he said.
The practice risked creating unofficial hubs where commuters would congregate without regard for safety or order, undermining law enforcement efforts, he said. “There must be law and order, and my organisation is an organisation of law and order, and we cannot go against the rules or the laws,” he said, adding that pick-ups and drop-offs should only occur in extenuating circumstances such as emergencies or when directed by police.
He said other areas across the island were being used similarly, but could not readily identify all of them. He was responding to comments on social media regarding the disorderly conduct of PSV operators.
The AOPT spokesman also said commuters were contributing to the problem and warned that encouraging drivers to break the law amounted to complicity: “It is therefore imperative that the commuters pay attention to what they are doing and do not seek to assist or to help guide the workers in the sector to break the law. That is aiding and abetting.”
Haynes said he was not attacking the industry as a whole, adding that the unacceptable behaviour undermined efforts to improve public transport.
“There are some guys in the sector whose behaviour is exemplary. I urge those who are not doing that which is right to emulate the behaviour of those guys who are doing the rightful things,” he said, adding that unsavoury conduct brought the entire sector into public disrepute.
He called on vehicle owners to take greater responsibility for monitoring drivers and conductors.
“Please police your own vehicles, please see what your guys are doing, please reprimand them where they have to be reprimanded,” Haynes said, noting that The Barbados Police Service (TBPS) was stretched and could not manage the PSV sector alone.
He also criticised conduct around the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, including blowing horns in the silent zone and blocking access routes.
“That is insensitive to be blowing horns when people are sick in the hospital. That noise is not right, and they should not be doing it. They were blocking even the road en route to the hospital,” Haynes said, noting that such actions could delay ambulances and endanger lives.
His comments come as the Police Service rolls out a new traffic management initiative under Operation Safe Season, targeting the year-end and New Year period. The initiative focuses on reducing congestion and enforcing road traffic laws during the peak shopping and tourism season, with motorcycle police patrolling major routes into Bridgetown, including Highways 1, 7 and 3, and increased police visibility within the city.
Against that backdrop, Haynes warned that illegal pick-ups and off-route activity could intensify during the festive season if not addressed.
“We cannot have anarchy in society. We have to have order. We are in a place of law and order, and law and order must be observed at all times,” he said, urging operators to drive carefully, obey the law and help ensure a safe and incident-free Christmas.
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
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