Off the road

We express condolences to the family of Roosevelt Kerr, 50, who died in the accident, and wish the five people who were very seriously injured a full and speedy recovery.

The PTSC, Tobago House of Assembly, Ministry of Works and Transport and the Police Service must complete their inquires as soon as possible not only because of the tragic loss of life and injuries but also because of the possible threat to public safety posed by a system in which it is uncertain what was the cause of the accident.

But more than this, questions must also be answered in relation to the steady stream of complaints raised over the last few months about the fleet of the PTSC. These complaints have related to mechanical parts as well as questions of procurement. Up until Monday, they were largely met with assurances by Government officials that the public transport system was safe. Let us hope this is the case.

Though the investigations are ongoing, one matter the probers are likely to consider is the appropriateness of the use of a bus of the scale as the one involved in Monday’s accident on the roads of Tobago. Does the PTSC really have the ideal fleet to service not only the standard urban roads, but also the sometimes sharply bending, narrow and high-gradient roads that comprise areas of the road network? If initial reports stating the accident came after problems with brakes are true, then it must be ascertained whether this problem is one related to the individual bus or the state of the entire fleet.

One official with knowledge of the PTSC situation yesterday lamented, on the radio, the PTSC has been using 27 different models over the years. That startling number alone has to constitute management at its extreme worst.

If true, you cannot help but suspect the hand of some form of corruption in the system. And that situation seems to have been the case throughout successive changes of administration.

There is also the need for an accounting of the stock at the PTSC, assuming this has not been done already. Whatever happened to the buses brought for the 2009 Summit of the Americas? Was our maintenance of them effective? Were they ideal for our conditions? Are they still roadworthy? In relation to Tobago, a greater level of care must be taken to ensure that the right type of bus is applied in the scheme of things. We await the results of the investigations, but there are obvious signs of the inappropriateness of the fleet.

We must do everything to ensure the safety of people who travel by public transport. Though the bus system is not the panacea to all of our transport woes, at the very least the aspiration must be to have a very safe system. We should not have to be hearing rumours and conjecture. There should be consistency in the selection, procurement, maintenance and safety regulation of buses. It makes no sense having fancy Wi-Fi installed or various hubs relocated if the basics are not covered.

Beyond these immediate issues, there are also questions about the reliability of the PTSC service. One letter writer yesterday lamented inconsistencies in the schedule of buses sent to City Gate to service commuters to Arima. In addition to buses not turning up at the scheduled time, the writer also decried an incident where the driver of a bus failed to take heed of a request to stop at a sanctioned bus stop.

We can only guess if these types of problems relate to staff grouses over late back pay. Clearly there are pressing issues that must be examined, but an overall examination of all the pertinent issues is also called for in order to prevent the PTSC from becoming a complete wreck.