Sinanan: UNC used PTSC buses as 'hotels'

WORKS and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan told the Senate on Tuesday that the population would benefit from 300 additional buses for the Public Transportation Service Corporation (PTSC) before he left office.

He made the promise while dismissing claims from Opposition Senator Damian Lyder that the PNM had failed to improve the efficiency of the PTSC since it returned to office.

Sinanan enraged Lyder when he told him that between May 24, 2010 to September 7, 2015, the former UNC led People's Partnership coalition government used PTSC buses as "hotels."

As he responded to Lyder's claims, Sinanan said he did not want to spoil the mood for anyone on the eve of Divali which will be celebrated on Sunday.

But acting on advice from government senators, Sinanan took his gloves off to deal with Lyder.

"What is strange is that in my first year in office as minister, I found a report that was commissioned by the former minister of transport under the then UNC government, that said some of the PTSC buses, as much as they were short, some of them were being used as hotels."

Sinanan was referring to a phenomenon which occurred under the PP, which had PTSC buses parked in different parts of Port of Spain and people were staying in them.

Government senators gasped in shock.

Sinanan said, "So to come and say today that the Government after eight years..."

Lyder protested at this stage, making inaudible comments across the aisle.

Senate President Nigel De Freitas quickly restored order to the proceedings.

He told Lyder, "Do not let that happen again by way of an outburst when a minister is responding to a question."

De Freitas instructed Lyder to be silent and let Sinanan respond to his earlier questions.

Sinanan said, "This government did not take eight years. As minister I have delivered over 100 buses over the last eight years."

Government senators thumped their desks as he added, " I intend to deliver another 300 before I demit office."

Sinanan declared, "None of these buses will be used as hotels., I give you that assurance."

The PNM, he continued, understood that it could not build its way out of traffic jams by only building new roads.

Sinanan reiterated that this was why Government had a national transportation plan and saw the creation of a mass-transit system as one strategy to improve public transport in TT.

PTSC, he continued, will be a key player in this system.

Sinanan reminded senators that his ministry was, at the time, evaluating tenders for the procurement and operationalisation of 300 new buses for the PTSC.

Those include 240 electric, 30 CNG (compressed natural gas) and 30 diesel-powered buses.

He also dismissed claims from Lyder that the PNM did nothing to improve the efficiency of the domestic seabridge over the last eight years.

Sinanan said for the first time, the seabridge had five vessels that provided ample passenger and cargo capacity.

He recalled meeting with the Tobago business community in August after a fire on the MV Cabo Star, caused the vessel to be taken out of service and the Venezuelan vessel MV Empremdedora was brought in to assist with cargo services on he seabridge.

Sinanan reminded senators that all costs to repair the Cabo Star and bring in the Empremdedora were borne by the Cabo Star's owners and not the Government.