No support for agency to fix Tobago transport woes

Minority Council’ Leader, Watson Duke, last Thursday called for immediate setting up of a Tobago Transportation Agency to fix inter-island transport problems devilling Tobago. However, the Executive Council declined to support his callfor the Assembly to write to Cabinet seeking implementation of such an agency.

Assistant Secretary in the Office of the Chief Secretary and representative for Buccoo/Mt Pleasant, Ancil Dennis dismissed the motion was as “nonsensical,” saying he did not hear from Duke the reason, structure, how this agency would fix issues on the sea and air bridges and with inland transportation as regards PTSC in Tobago.

Transportation Secretary Nadine Stewart-Phillips, in her contribution to the debate, said while she understood the importance of interisland connectivity, and admitted to the challenges as pointed out by Duke, said “as policymakers we must ensure that the solutions that we put forward are part of a holistic process.”

“As Tobagonians, we do not need more bureaucracy, more duplication of effort and expense on this matter,” she said, contending that recommendations agreed upon should be implemented and that Tobago has a significant input in arrangements to deal with existing challenges for a sustainable integrated and efficient transportation system.

Leader of Assembly Business, Infrastructure Secretary Kwesi DesVignes called for a technical working team to address the challenges on the inter-island transportation route.

“We need to be able to understand fully what the challenges are, we need to be able to say this can work or this cannot work... is it really necessary for us to have another layer or bureaucracy because you are saying that the transport agency will work out the arrangements for transportation on the island but the seabridge and the airbridge does not service Tobago only.

“Yes, we depend on it a lot more than our Trinidad counterparts, but it is not for us only. Let us work together... it is time that we set up a technical working team with the mandate to complete a holistic assessment of the operations and management of the Trinidad and Tobago Interisland Transportation Company Limited, Caribbean Airlines as well as PTSC,” he said.

Duke, in presenting the motion for debate at the plenary at the THA Chamber, Jerningham Street, Scarborough, said a Transportation Agency was more important than the Tourism Agency because “it is part of our fundamental rights, every single human being in Trinidad and in Tobago, the freedom of movement.

“The Tobago Transportation Agency will provide administration, regulation and the operation of all air transportation, sea transportation and all ground transportation, it provides regulation and administration over public transport and over private transport,” he said.

He said it would not be difficult to create such an agency in that it was simply a business/organisation providing a particular service on behalf of another business person/organisation.

“That agency will be able to assist Tobagonians greatly because it is a new dimension of Tobago providing within its own space the capability on how it exercises the freedom of movement. It is difficult to exercise your freedom of movement knowing that there are 15 new buses parked in Trinidad currently, waiting for someone to finish drinking his coffee and signing the papers to say ‘alright bring them over now’, that is what’s happening right now,” he said.

On potential benefits of a transportation agency for Tobago, he said:

“No taxi driver, no maxi driver will have to write to Trinidad asking for permission to have maxi rights or permission for a taxi badge, no… it can be done right here…we don’t have to wait for some organisation in Trinidad to write off ‘Yellow Iron’ the boat, no… it can be written off right here by that agency. “Under that agency, the Licensing Office will operate but it would no longer be Licensing Office, it would be the Tobago Transportation Agency. So, the licensing of cars and all vehicles would take place under that agency.”

Duke, noting that Tobago does not have a bus terminal, said “bus service in Tobago is an extinct service, recalling a time when buses were available to commuters every two hours from 6 am to 10 pm daily.

He also examined the inconvenience and challenges of an unreliable ferry and airline service for Tobago, targeting specifically the ATRs.

“There are five assigned to Trinidad and Tobago and some of those are in a derelict condition, some of those require serious changing, serious adjustment, complete refurbishment and sometimes doing away with,” he said, recalling complaints by pilots some months ago about a red light coming on in the cockpit.

“Just this week (last week) when I boarded the plane, on Tuesday morning this week, I had to come off the first plane, something was wrong. Then I got on a second plane, something was wrong again, we had to make it on a third plane,” he said.

Minority Councillor Dr Faith BYisrael, speaking in support of the motion, said problems with interisland transportation over the last year and a half have solidified the need for a comprehensive transport system that works.

“The fifth schedule of the Tobago House of Assembly Act is very clear on its responsibilities… you promised us, PNM in Trinidad, PNM in Tobago, this is going to be very easy, what we’ve been doing have not worked… and we need to not keep doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result,” she said.

Also in support of the motion, Farley Augustine, Minority Member and representative for for Parlatuvier/L’Asnse Fourmi/ Speyside, identifies two items that he said stood out for him in the debate – that “Tobago has a transportation problem, and we are afraid...”

“It is surprising how afraid we are to make big leaps given that collectively we are saying to Trinidad and saying to Tobagonians looking on, that we want greater autonomy. Perhaps, we need to pinch ourselves and realise that with greater autonomy comes with greater responsibilities, and we cannot be clamouring for greater autonomy and not also be simultaneously clamouring for greater responsibilities,” he said.