Water-taxi commute hazardous for passengers

THE EDITOR: Passengers basked in the scent of sewerage as we sat under a tent placed at the front of the water taxi terminal, boiling in the sweltering heat of the afternoon sun.

As I sat next to what appeared to be a dilapidated cesspit cordoned off with caution tape, I pondered on how the authorities at Nidco can have passengers sitting in these unsafe conditions.

The foul stench poses both a health and safety hazard to passengers. A tent with chairs and improper ventilation certainly was not the solution to a ceiling on the verge of collapse inside the terminal.

Coupled with the issues at the terminal, passengers are also plagued with the situation of no air conditioning on the vessels some days. We are like a "seafood boil" as we commute to and from Port of Spain.

With the harsh weather conditions we are experiencing, it is unreasonable of Nidco to assume that passengers can comfortably breathe without properly functioning air condition systems in the terminal, under the tent and in the vessel.

Hundreds of commuters, including myself, rely on the water taxi as a daily means of transportation to and from the capital city. While we are extremely grateful for the service, we are suffering.

I am humbly requesting the immediate intervention of the Minister of Works and Transport and the relevant authorities at Nidco to drastically improve this service and eliminate the many health and safety hazards which we are faced with at the moment.

M ALEXANDER

San Fernando