Jitneys on Bay Street.
By Farrah Johnson
BUS drivers will no longer pay tickets for bus stop infractions due to “inadequate” stops, says Frederick Farrington, president of the Bahamas Unified Bus Drivers Union.
Mr Farrington told The Tribune that the union is incensed that more than a hundred recognised bus stops are not in place, adding the “unfair system” does not allow bus drivers to provide services effectively.
“If you were to ride down East Street corridors, there are 24 bus stops that suppose to be on East Street but there are only four bus stops,” he said.
You go on to Market Street, there’s supposed to be 16 bus stops but there are only two bus stops.”
Mr Farrington said bus drivers spend "tons of money in the treasury department”, but the basic tools and equipment they need are still missing.
“If you have a bus driver that was driving a bus for 20 years, he know where the bus stop suppose to be, [but if] you have a police officer join the force two years ago, he doesn't know where the bus stop suppose to be.”
“So if a bus stop a certain place, this officer will then write him up a ticket saying he’s not on the bus stop and this the problem that the drivers have,” he explained.
Mr Farrington said the union held a meeting with Works Minister Desmond Bannister earlier this year in January, who “promised” that the issue would be dealt with.
“The meeting went well...he also said we have to forward a letter to the road traffic controller, which we did, and the controller sent it back to the Ministry of Works,” Farrington said.
The president added that they also followed up on the matter and sent another letter to the manager in charge of all of the ground works at the Ministry, but nothing has been done as yet.
Because the union are collaborating with the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Transport, Farrington said he also “sat down” with transport minister Renward Wells, who told him that the ministry needed to allocate more funds to repair the necessary areas.
“He [Mr Wells] said that he would see that these things be done but hence they are not done… it’s a dying need that the industry needs, and at the hands of the government, it’s like they’re just not assisting us.”
Farrington insisted that “enough is enough,” adding that “tensions” in the bus community were “running high” as they have grown weary of the “constant” unmet promises.
He added that this particular issue, along with other challenges the bus drivers face will be discussed in the union’s upcoming press conference scheduled for May 29.
The Bahamas Unified Bus Drivers Union represents more than 200 of 300 bus drivers that operate in New Providence.
Comments
bogart 4 years, 10 months ago
NO MORE TICKETS ...FOR ROAD TRIFFIC ....STOPPING INFRACTIONS.....IS GURRANTEED....TO ENDANGERING THE LIVES OF ERRY ROAD USER.....VEHICLES STOPPING AT ROAD ANGLES CURVES BLOCKING VIEWS OF ONCOMING...SIDE ROADS COMING OUT...BLOCKING ENTRANCES...WITHIN FEET OF CORNERS...Jitneys already has dis comical approved of stopping just feet across of intersections stopping traffic...SHIRLEY ST AN KEMP ROAD on Kemp Rd...always blocks traffic an cars misses green light waitin behind jitsey....TRAFFIC TICKETS MUST BE GIVEN OUT TO JITNEY DRIVERS ENDANGERING OTHERS...........OR LACK OF COMMON SENSE..........so ones who did gets traffic traffics must deserve it....and....blaming...new Police for not knowing invisible bus stops has usually overtaken by developments at those spots that common sense must prevail on endangering other road users.
proudloudandfnm 4 years, 10 months ago
What a croc of nanny. Jitney drivers stop where they want, when they want and they don't give a rat ass if it stops traffic or not. They'll drive the wrong way down a one way street, they'll drive on sidewalks. STOP TREATING THESE THUGS LIKE THEY HAVE LEGITIMATE GRIPES. Nassau jitney drivers are the scum of the earth....
What we need for jitney drivers and cab drivers is a point system, for every infraction you get points, accumulate enough points and you lose your license. Make it retroactive too, this way you can take the license of 99.9% of jitney drivers immediately....
sheeprunner12 4 years, 10 months ago
WHAT ABOUT TICKETS FOR RACING EACH OTHER???????
Gotoutintime 4 years, 10 months ago
They are a law onto themselves and they make their own rules---They are the scourge of the Bahamian roads!
bogart 4 years, 10 months ago
MAYHEM.....LAWLESSNESS......DANGER TO OTHER.....INJURY TO OTHERS.....ACTIONS SERIOUSLY IMPACT ON NATION......The source of the problem which should be known by the Authorities and continues to this day emanates is the Drivers payment renumeration. The Driver has to race drive recklessness, stop in middle of roads to block others, to get as much fares so that they can QUICKLY MEET PAYMENT TARGETS first give the BUS/TAXI OWNERS the payment TARGETS required payment and the soonest the Driver can earn and hand over the stipulated owners TARGET fee, then the Driver has to race to collect fares to pay his weekly salary/paycheck, bonus.
The Authorities should have been aware as this Driver payment TARGETS system encourages, fuels the reckless road traffic making road use dangerous. Investigations and actions need to be taken by Authorities more diligently and aggressively to lessen danger to others. PPEOPLES LIVES ARE IN DANGER BECAUSE OF KNOWINGLY RECKLESS ACTIONS.....
B_I_D___ 4 years, 10 months ago
I call bull crap on that one...Bahamians just too damn lazy to walk to the designated stop and the bus driver too greedy trying to get that extra fare with stopping every hundred feet to pick up some other lazy bugger.
BahamaPundit 4 years, 10 months ago
A new sidewalk system in Cable Beach was specifically engineered with indented bus stops. The sidewalk angles in with ample room for jitneys to pull in. Guess what? The jitneys still stop in the middle of the road right in front of the bus stop and don't use the indentation. Unbelievable.
Hoda 4 years, 10 months ago
They don't use the bus stop now.
These dirty bus drivers. President need to address how these bus drivers is be speeding past disable people on the road.
Let's not talk about how jitney drivers feel that they shouldn't have to slow down or stop at a stop sign.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID