Transport Minister Stephenson King has suggested introducing a government-owned bus service on primary roads, with other buses connecting to various communities.
“I think we need to put on the primary road network larger buses, and if I follow my mind, buses operated by a wholly-owned government service,” the former Prime Minister told reporters Monday.
“That service will be, one, Gros Islet to Castries, Castries, West Coast, East Coast. The communities can then connect into that primary road network service,” the Transport Minister explained.
He felt the proposed larger buses would facilitate decongestion in the capital.
“When you put in, say a 60-seater, you know how many buses you’re pulling off the road? Four buses,” King observed.
However, he stated that those four buses would now be able to operate at the community level.
King emphasised that those were merely ideas and did not represent government decisions.
The National Council on Public Transportation (NCOPT), contacted for a response to the Minister’s suggestion, promised to issue a statement on Tuesday.
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has conducted a public transportation study in Grenada and Saint Lucia.
King told reporters the report would be the subject of public consultations involving multiple stakeholders, including the minibus, private, and public sectors.
