The National Council on Public Transportation (NCOPT) has long been one of the villains in Saint Lucia’s short and storied history. They have had the upper hand on many a Saint Lucian due to the monopoly of their private service providing a public good on the various routes of the local road network.
And with this comes their latest plea for a fare increase on the heels of Lucelec, WASCO and the gas pump all announcing their desire to further eat at the already small wages of locals. But is this out of hand? Are minibus drivers also not part of the ecosystem? Should a fare raise be considered?
Perhaps.
But there are many factors that argue against the government giving the okay to the NCOPT and other minibus associations the nod to further traumatize local pockets. There seems to be little to no give in what the NCOPT provides. There is no required customer service or vehicle maintenance program they are demanded to engage with to be part of the expected raise. Nor is there consideration for reduced fares for the elderly and children under 12. A bus schedule is also a mythological concept to them, the schedule of buses every other half hour or 45 minutes would provide for greater regularity and punctuality among users rather than the suggestion that persons wake up earlier to use the bus system.
An invitation to overcrowded bus stops and terminals with empty buses on a regular Monday morning would go well to disabuse the NCOPT President of the laughable claim. Persons often find themselves facing the lack of bus reliability on weekends and the evenings when they are attempting either to get home after a hard day’s work or an abbreviated lime due to the inevitable pressures of the bus system and its distaste for reliability.
This situation of the absurd is compounded by added cars on the road, to the tune of close to over 100,000 vehicles, many imported recently to deal with the unreliable nature of the public transport system. This has of course increased the levels of neuroticism and traffic alongside the increasing rates of dangerous driving along the road. With the same road network expected to deal with the bursting at its seams vehicle traffic is a nightmare. Government may need to urgently revisit their plans to create new road networks or create an island wide campaign to enlighten users on how to efficiently utilize the current network.
Additionally, consideration needs to be given for the full implementation of reports that continue to gather dust on minister’s desks because of the cold calculation of which avenues will gather the most votes. The stark reality is that votes should be secondary to the wellbeing and improvement of the island’s commuters, drivers and motoring public over any naked consideration of how these actions will benefit themselves over the wider community. From the days of Guy Joseph et al, 2006, it was always felt that this cold calculation will be to the detriment of our socioeconomic progress. Consider how many advancements and improvements have been abandoned or disregarded because they may deprive these dastardly politrickians votes in the ballot box.
Sigh, what shenanigans.