Rigours of Vincy public transport system
1. Lack of clarity for bus destinations: some buses write their destinations in words, but these are not only small, but become lost in all the flashy and glossy names and paint, while others have none. Why donât we today, like most other developing countries, also have a number system to clearly democrate bus routes? Why does a customer have to ask where a van is operating, have conductors approach them in ways that one can interpret as aggressive, or shouting to find out if youâre travelling?
2. Truck horns in vans: why do vans now have heavy duty horns that are blown continuously from miles away to the bus stops that seem to want to burst your eardrums? Why must we be subjected to this annoyance?
3. Interrupted travel: after a hard dayâs work persons are often left starved for transportation. Why must persons walk half a mile or more to get a bus, because drivers deem it fit to turn back en route and on-board passengers have to walk to their final destinations? Why isnât the bus terminal organized in such a way and the major roads to allow for ease of traffic, rather than filled with vending tables, tents and trays?
On the issue of roads, while there is always the outcry about bad roads, I believe the Fountain to Marriaqua highway (and it is a highway!) to be the worst in the whole of SVG. Where there are not pot-holes, there are bumpy roads. When was the last time any meaningful work was done as on the Leeward side of the island? This is a major highway that leads to maybe the second largest constituency on the island. Is this community not as important as the Windward and Leeward highways?
4. Excessive music: often the music in minibuses is very inappropriate and excessively loud, so that you have to shout to be able to get off at your destination. Itâs often impossible to communicate via your cell phone because some vans bluntly refuse from turning down their music. If you complain of the noise level, some pompously demand that you leave the bus.
Where is the customer service?
Moreover, think of the effect this music has on our schoolchildren who are being primed on their way to and from schools to hear about almost every explicit act. Is there any wonder that our young men are falling out of secondary school, involved in gangs and drugs, our teen girls become pregnant and overall their academic performance is on the deadline?
On the issue of music, our radio DJs also need to take more responsibility for their music selection; the content and quality of their discourse, which seems to target the female body, demean the subjugate women. In this age of womenâs liberation and freedom of choice, their discourse leaves much to be desired. Moreover, some musical lyrics we play, you would never hear on other airwaves in this region. So, who takes responsibility for this? What are the values weâre trying to instill in our young people and our views of the female gender?
5. Late night or after hours transportation: unless there is access to personal transportation, a person can hardly travel after 9 p.m. for private buses become scarce in most areas. Is there not such a way that the Government can supplement transport at certain hours of the night perhaps between 9 p.m. and 12 midnight, even if itâs single buses deployed to non-traditional routes, so they have maximum coverage? For example, a bus deployed to the Leeward and Windward highways, and one to the interior that can travel between East St George and Marriaqua to allow for ease of travel? How are we to encourage night entertainment and tourism without a reliable functioning public transportation system?
Thank you to the editor for allowing the space to raise these issues, but I would hope that the police department, minibus association, and policy makers take these into consideration, so we can have proper regulation and more accountability. It is at a stage in our development where much more needs to be done in the interest of our peopleâs safety and national development.
Member of the Public
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