Registration for minibuses extended to today

The registration of minivans with the Ministry of Transport and Works to allow them to take part in the government’s COVID-19 minibus sanitization and subsidy program has been extended to today, Friday, April 24.

This is the third time the registration deadline has been extended as the process was supposed to end on Wednesday.

Minister of Transport and Works Julian Francis said on Wednesday that only 318 minivans had so far registered.

He said the decision was taken to extend the registration to today, so he encouraged minivan owners to go to registration stations at the ET Joshua Airport and at the road behind the Victoria Park in Kingstown.

The stations are open from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm.

Earlier this month, the government approved an EC$700,000 subsidy for the omnibus sector in the COVID-19 supplementary appropriation bill.

But few minivans have registered, a requirement to qualify for the subsidy and to be part of the government’s COVID-19 minibus sanitization program.

The 318 minivans registered up to Wednesday is far fewer than the government’s estimate of 1600 active minivans, and closer to the Vincentian Transportation Association’s (VINTAS) 600.

The sanitization stations are currently operating in Little Tokyo and the Leeward Bus Terminal. The Public Health Department is running two sanitization shifts so vans may get sanitized up to 6:30pm daily.