The Sharon Moravian Church, the Sixty-third Anniversary Celebrations of the Barbados Transport Board on Sunday, August 26, 2018 at 9:30 a.m.
- Reverend Movelle Kellman
- Hon. Dr. William Duguid, J.P., M.P. Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance
- Hon Peter Phillips, M.P. Minister in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance
- Mr Mark Cummins, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance
- Mr. Gregory Nicholls, Chairman of the Transport Board
- Members of the Board of Directors of the Transport Board
- Members of the management team of the Transport Board
- Sir Roy Trotman, Former General Secretary and Members of the Barbados Workers’ Union
- Distinguished Guests
- Staff of the Transport Board
- Members of the Media
- Ladies and Gentlemen
Good Morning,
As acting General Manager, it gives me great pleasure to be here as the Transport Board celebrates this significant milestone in its operations. Sixty-three years in the life of any organisation is a notable achievement. This feat has been achieved through much effort and a high level of commitment, dedication and perseverance by staff.
From an entity starting on August 24, 1955 with few employees and even fewer vehicles, the Transport Board has grown into an organization employing approximately 600 persons and servicing about 100 routes across every constituency in this island.
In accordance with the Transport Board Act of Parliament, the Board’s objectives are to:
- carry goods and passengers by road within the island;
- provide, maintain and operate a passenger road transport service; and
- provide such other amenities and facilities for passengers and other persons making use of the services provided.
I am not going to provide you with all the details of our history but will encourage you to visit our website at www.transportboard.com for further information.
As Transport Board celebrates our birthday, I am not going to hide our shortcomings in the back seat a bus but admit that during the past few years, there have been a number of challenges. The Board of Directors and the Management are cognizant of the long hours that you are kept waiting for a bus. We have heard your cries for an improvement in the transportation service and we are acting.
What has been done? The Transport Board has implemented a number of policies and procedures all with one fundamental focus, that is to provide a reliable and efficient service to the people of Barbados while minimizing the strain on the public purse. We have begun the process of improving bus availability, improving our facilities to world standards, reducing wait times and increasing customer engagement and interaction.
Some of the strategic initiatives include the maintenance of an acceptable fleet of buses, development and training of our staff (permit me to say here that the Transport Board can boast of some of the best Drivers in the world), implementation of new schedules and the deployment of new technology initiatives.
Currently, the Board has made requests for Expressions of Interest for the procurement of clean energy CNG, Electric and Hybrid buses and for a Fleet Management Solutions System.
As acting General Manager, I want to reassure all of you that I, along with my management team and staff will work assiduously with all stakeholders including United Autoworks Commercial Limited (UCAL), Barbados Workers Union, Unity Workers Union, Ministries and Service Providers to ensure to ensure that the buses are available to you on time and that we improve all aspects of our operations, to ensure that the Board transitions into a viable, efficient and modern organization catering to the needs of the 21st Century.
To those persons who have laid the foundation, those who partnered with us in previous projects and who will work with us on current or upcoming projects including the Unions and past and current members of staff, your contributions have brought the Board through the past sixty three years to be “still standing tall today”. We thank you for all that you have been done.
I close by reminding you that “Together We Can (My slogan), Together we Will and Together we Must”.
I pray God’s blessings on our Government, our Organization and the people of Barbados and ask His favour on our land, that He may prosper us with the plans that He has for this our beloved Nation.
