Senator Richards lobbies for better Wi-Fi, transport

INDEPENDENT Senator Paul Richards used his contribution to Tuesday's budget debate in the Senate, to call for better Wi-Fi access and public transport in TT. On the former, he said, "Wi-Fi should be considered as basic as electricity."

Richards wondered why it took the covid19 pandemic to realise the importance of digitisation. He said initiatives to improve technology should have been taken years earlier by previous administrations.

As he welcomed the proposal to establish internet cafes in different communities, Richards wondered whether they would be hampered by covid19 protocols, specifically the need for physical distancing.

On the importation of new and foreign-used vehicles, Richards said the main reason why people flock to these dealerships is because of the "absymal state" of the country's public transport system. He argued the solution was not a rapid rail system, but the establishment of proper hubs throughout the country complete with car park facilities.

Richards said the Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) has been grossly underutilised over the years.

"It's not a bus service."

He said there was no reason why PTSC could not expand its functions to offer bus, limousine and taxi services to the public.

At the risk of being sacrilegious and offending members of the private sector, Richards wondered if PTSC could be used to transport prisoners from jail to courthouses and back.

He also said the City Gate terminal in Port of Spain, in its present state, does not offer an efficient environment for users.

While congratulating Laventille West MP Fitzgerald Hinds on his appointment as Youth Development Minister, Richards said he did not know what services this ministry would provide to help TT's young people. He was also concerned as to whether children in at-risk communities were getting proper access to education.