General manager of Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) Ronald Forde has denied that the corporation has been using parts from derelict buses to service vehicles down for repairs.
He, however, admitted when two buses of the same model were down, PTSC would occasionally remove a part from one of the bus to repair the other.
Forde said for this year, PTSC has injected $20 million in spare parts for its fleet of 350 buses which comprises 27 models.
He was responding to claims made by Transport and Industrial Workers Union, Roland Sutherland, who on Tuesday in a T&T Guardian article raised concerns about the safety of State-owned PTSC buses, stating they were running its service by cannibalising old buses to repair buses that were down.
Also supporting Sutherland’s claims was Public Services Association branch president, Darryl Lamy, who stated that complaint had also reached the ears of the association.
On Wednesday, Forde, along with acting general manager of PTSC, Carl Ramdeo, gave the T&T Guardian a tour of corporation’s workshop and two storerooms to show where they purchase and use original parts for its fleet.
Among the parts in the storerooms were for brakes, airbags, radiators, windscreens and windows which were stacked on shelves, while in the workshop several mechanics said old parts were not used.
At one corner of PTSC’s compound were 15 buses awaiting repairs. Written on the inside of the windscreens of the parked buses were the parts of which PTSC were in short supply.
Among them were injectors and turbo chargers.
“In any industry globally you may have a bus down. There is a part needed that I have ordered but there is a bus that is parked up there awaiting major repairs and I need a small part to get the bus that is down out to move hundreds of commuters out.
“That is the norm in the industry. I borrow the part of that bus so the other bus would come out (be repaired). But to make a categorical statement that PTSC uses old parts on its buses, that is not true. One thing PTSC does not do is chinks with buying parts,” Forde said.
The unavailability of foreign exchange Forde admitted has been causing some delay in purchasing parts from China and Brazil.
Once an order was placed for a major part from the buses’ manufacturers, Forde said it would take around six to eight weeks to get here.
Small parts were purchased from over 100 local service providers, Forde said, while showing wads of bills of parts that had been purchased.
He said some of the setbacks PTSC had been faced with was the ages of its buses, some of which were 24 years old. The average age of a PTSC fleet, Forde added was 11 years.
“International benchmark is six years,” he said.
Forde admitted that PTSC was looking to get out of its hands bus parts that were no longer in use.
“Many of the buses had become obsolete. The board is looking at a way to dispose of the parts. If we can secure somebody who still uses those buses in the region or internationally we would sell them the parts,” he said.
He revealed that Cabinet had approved a bus rationalisation programme for its fleet.
Instead of using 27 models of buses, PTSC wanted to have on its fleet only four types, he said.
“There is no other country in the world that you can find that (27 models). How it got there I don’t know. I came and met it so. It makes no sense,” he added.
Currently, Forde said, procuring parts was a nightmare while stocking and managing thousand of parts for the different types of buses were a recipe for disaster.
He said PTSC was in the process of refurbishing and rationalising its fleet to make the organisation self-sustainable.
Forde said people were going out of their way to pull down PTSC’s name.
“They relish and love that. What they should be talking about is the pilferage going on inside here. Only this morning they took out some of the windows from a small bus. A battery was also stolen. I now have to put mechanisms in place by fabricating wrought iron cages to lock down the batteries,” he said.
Questioned how long the stealing has been occurring, Forde said for a while, but said that it had to stop.
“PTSC is now in the processing of obtaining security cameras for all our facilities. That should curtail it in a big way,” he said. The cameras are expected to cost PTSC over $1 million.
The thieves, Forde said, have a preference for tyres, small batteries and turbo chargers.
A few months aback, Forde said, a driver and mechanic in South were caught carting away batteries while another employee was found tampering with a bill to embellish the price of items.
“As long as we catch you that is it. We make sure you have a fair trial and we get you out of the operation,” he said.
Despite a high visibility of security officers at entry and exits points, the stealing still occurs.
Questioned if PTSC was looking to reduce its staff and managers, Forde was unable to say.
“We are in the process of conducting a manpower audit to ensure what the taxpayers are paying for they get value for money.
“The audit, which has already been approved by the board, will go out for tender. The only shake-up I would like to see in PTSC is better exchange with labour for money,” he said.
Forde said the appraisal of all employees would be looked at.
In going forward, Forde said the acquisition of 70 CNG buses, which is expected to cost upward of $40 million, would help improve PTSC’s service.
He said PTSC had also awarded a contract to a Venezuela company to refurbish eight articulated buses which were down.