Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT), Roy Raphael, has pushed back against criticisms from the Public Service Vehicle Workers’ Association (PSVWA) by calling for a return to structured dialogue and insisting that concerns raised by operators must be channelled through the legally recognised owners’ associations.
His comments come in response to PSVWA president David Douglin and other executive members, who in yesterday’s DAILY NATION expressed frustration over the lack of a substantive response to a petition submitted more than three months ago to the Transport Authority.
The petition, which reportedly carried more than 200 signatures, highlighted critical health and safety issues at the Cheapside Terminal and Constitution River Terminal, inadequate bathroom facilities, lack of security and concerns over a mandatory training programme.
Raphael said while the workers had every right to raise concerns, the existing governance framework for public transport requires such matters to be raised through the owners, who are the permit holders recognised by the Transport Authority.
“We were not aware of the petition and I’m not disputing that it was sent, but there is a process that should be followed. Permit holders are the ones the Transport Authority is mandated to engage with. If workers have issues, they should bring them to the owners’ associations, who can then escalate them to the relevant authorities,” he said.
He added that the AOPT, which has a representative on the Transport Authority’s board, routinely advocates on behalf of both owners and drivers. He pointed to site visits undertaken by the association to the Cheapside and Constitution River terminals to assess working conditions, which led to formal correspondence with the Minister of Transport and Works, and the Transport Authority.
Pushed for improvements
“We’ve been actively engaging the authorities for years on these matters. We were the ones who pushed for improvements like the Constitution River Terminal upgrade and are currently involved in planning for the new Seaview Terminal,” Raphael noted. “We have called for recreational facilities, proper lunch rooms, medical bays and even charging ports for incoming electric vehicles at the new site.”
He also revealed that
the association has written to the Ministry of Health about potential health hazards posed by bird infestations near the Constitution River Terminal and smoke from a nearby incinerator, which some operators believe may be affecting their health.
Responding to PSVWA’s claims of poor sanitation and safety at the Cheapside Terminal – including locked, dirty bathrooms without basic supplies – Raphael acknowledged the long-standing concerns but insisted his association had already raised them through the proper channels.
“We’re aware of the problems at Cheapside, including the bathroom issues and lack of security. These are precisely the matters we’ve flagged to the authorities, but for action to be taken, we must work within the existing framework,” he said.
Douglin had questioned why leaders of other organisations were commenting on matters raised by PSVWA members when, in his view, they did not represent the workers.
Raphael countered by stressing that many workers were not members of the PSVWA and that AOPT also represented operators within the Transport Augmentation Programme and independent PSV drivers.
Duty to respond directly
While the PSVWA maintains that the Transport Authority has a duty to respond directly to its petition – especially since it was delivered via attorney Michael Lashley, KC – Raphael said the Authority’s primary legal relationship was with permit holders.
“The Transport Authority does not employ the PSV workers; the owners do. So if workers take industrial action, it’s the owners who bear the brunt,” he said. “That’s why it is in everyone’s best interest that workers report their concerns to the owners’ associations. We are the ones positioned to get results.”
He said the AOPT remains committed to improving conditions across the transport sector but warned that bypassing established structures risks delays in resolving key issues.
“We’re not here to sideline anyone, but for progress to happen, we must speak with one voice through the correct mechanisms.” (CLM)
