The National Council on Public Transportation (NCOPT) has welcomed plans for sustainable road transport for Saint Lucia, including a public survey by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports, Transport, Physical Development, and Urban Renewal and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
NCOPT President Godfrey Ferdinand told St Lucia Times that the organisation wants the survey completed as soon as possible and recommended fares, new routes, discipline, and upgrades implemented.
“We want to see the results because some of the recommendations from the council, from the different associations are never implemented,” Ferdinand observed.
For example, the NCOPT President recalled that the government agreed to a disciplinary committee for the public transport sector.
“They gave us a month within which the disciplinary committee would have started and implemented, but nothing so far,” Ferdinand lamented.
He said it was frustrating for the public transport sector, as some bus drivers need discipline.
According to Ferdinand, the sector needs to send a message that it cannot be business as usual.
He said the NCOPT would like the sustainable road transport survey results to become public.
“This survey was supposed to be completed in December,” he told St Lucia Times.
However, the NCOPT President said that’s unlikely based on his information.
“That is one of our concerns,” he explained.
Ferdinand said the NCOPT hoped the survey would end in December and some recommendations implemented within the first two months of 2023.
