The Tribune

By Morgan Adderley

Tribune Staff Reporter

madderley@tribunemedia.net

TRANSPORT and Local Government Minister Frankie Campbell has defended taxicab drivers in the wake of reports they were defecating and urinating in their vehicles while parked overnight at Prince George Wharf.

Both Bahamas Union President Philip Watkins and Road Traffic Controller Ross Smith dismissed these allegations on Monday.

Mr Watkins described the tabloid report as “old news” and “isolated incidents” that were previously addressed. Mr Smith told The Tribune he only heard of such a matter once before, in 2016.

Mr Campbell addressed the matter outside Cabinet yesterday, saying he finds the negative generalisations of public service drivers to be unfair.

He told reporters: “I want to respond to comments that would have appeared in one of the dailies (on Monday) pertaining to cab drivers and their modus operandi here at the wharf.

“Let me say that in my interaction with public service drivers, taxi drivers, jitney drivers, I have found that the broad brush with which they are all painted is not necessarily fair.

“I must admit that there are those, and they are in the minority, that have gone afoul, that go contrary. And we are addressing that. We are strengthening our enforcement arm.”

Mr Campbell continued: “I myself, while en route to work, have had to ask a driver to stop, and had one or two conversations with public service drivers who have gone contrary.

“However, I am satisfied that the majority of them – particularly those who are a part of the organised union per se – are prepared to work with us to bring the radical change that the Bahamian people are looking forward to, especially us here in New Providence, that would bring some sense of order to the chaos that we have been experiencing,” he said.

“Let me state that from the time I became minister, I’ve engaged in dialogue with all the stakeholders, and we have come to a number of agreements. Many of them call for some legislative amendments or for some changes in the regulations.

“And so those matters are in fact being addressed. And I can assure you, that in short order, you will see the manifestation of some of those agreements.”

Mr Campbell also provided updates on the unified bus system pilot programme, adding that work is projected to begin in March.

He said the programme’s success would also necessitate additional roadwork improvements.

Mr Campbell said: “(There is a) pilot project that seeks to determine the feasibility of unifying the bus system. All (has) been done to ensure that we facilitate their work and that committee continues to move forward.

“My information is that hopefully as early as March, they will start in earnest to collect the data necessary to determine the feasibility of a unified bus system in New Providence.

“That aside, there are other works going on behind the scenes to ensure that areas where there is no service, service will come available.

“Where there needs to be adjustment in bus stops, where bus stops need to be built, where roadsides need to be paved to allow for buses to pull over – all of those things are being addressed.”

“Where we need to review changes in directions of the streets, etc, to reduce clogging of the traffic, we (are) addressing all those things simultaneously,” Mr Campbell said.