Traffic congestion worsening

Commuters from the East who regularly use the Priority Bus Route (PBR), are complaining that major traffic on the road is causing them to arrive at work late on mornings. Several callers have complained that it takes them one and a half hours to get to work. Passengers are also complaining that it has become even harder to get transport on the PBR maxi-taxi stand, since more people are waiting on mornings. This complaint has been linked to the lack of PTSC buses working the East/West corridor.

When Sunday Newsday contacted Victor George, the president of the Route 2 Maxi-Taxi Association, he said he believed the reason for the traffic congestion was the increase in unauthorised users on the PBR. George said these vehicles were slowing down the operations of maxi-taxi drivers, which is why commuters are arriving at work late. He said many of the drivers cannot cope with the traffic on mornings and do not return to Arima. This causes many commuters to be stranded on mornings, he said. George said the association has seen it fit that the Ministry of Works and Transport put more maxi-taxis to work on the PBR. If there are more maxi-taxis, he said, it would alleviate the problems of those passengers in places like La Horquetta, where it is also hard to get transport.

When Sunday Newsday tried to contact an official at PTSC, no one would comment on the matter up to press time. However, George told Sunday Newsday that a number of PTSC buses were being serviced in garages, and he believed that the fares they are charging were too low to properly maintain the buses. He said this could be one of the reasons for the lack of PTSC buses. George also found that the management at City Gate was poor. He said the facility was not built in the best interest of maxi-taxis and travellers. On evenings, there is usually a sea of people swamping the PBR bay, with even the most docile persons jostling for a seat. He believed that a proper method of queuing for maxi-taxis, would solve the problem of the mad rush that commuters meet every evening.