The protection provided by the T&T Police Service on the Priority Bus Route today will determine whether Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) bus drivers will return to work.
This was the word from Transport and Industrial Workers’ Union (TIWU) president Roland Sutherland last evening, hours after a meeting between the union, which represents the workers, PTSC management and the police.
Sutherland said while the union was heartened by the assurances that police will be monitoring the situation, it will only be if the drivers feel safe today they will return to work.
The meeting came after drivers refused to continue duty over fears they may be attacked or lose their lives while passing through the Beetham Gardens community due to gang activity, which adversely affected scores of commuters, including school children preparing for end of terms exams.
The drivers’ action came less than week after Beetham residents threw debris on the Beetham Highway and PBR during a protest and robbed motorists who were stranded in the resulting traffic gridlock. Stones were also thrown at a PTSC bus during the activity, shattering its windscreen. This came after police carried out an anti-crime exercise in the community and arrested two community leaders.
Commenting on the reason for their action yesterday, one bus driver said it was not the first time the lives of drivers were at risk, adding they had now had enough.
Shortly after drivers refused to leave the capital with their buses yesterday, the union met with PTSC management and the T&T Police Service on the issue.
Following the discussions, the PTSC issued a statement apologising to the public, saying the safety concerns of the union had been noted.
“We are seeking to have these matters urgently addressed as the safety and security of staff and passengers are of paramount importance to the corporation,” the statement said.
It was also agreed that stricter security measures would be put in place to ensure the safety of PTSC staff and passengers in the area of the Beetham Gardens.
Contacted yesterday, acting Superintendent of Police Florence Hodge-Griffith said the presence of police officers along “both ends” of the Beetham was always in existence.
“On the south we have two traffic patrols along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway and on the Bus Route we have the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).... 24 hours a day that patrol is there to secure the lawful users,” Hodge-Griffith.
“What transpired last week...we have heightened our presence by having more officers there. There is no reason for members of the public to be frightened...a situation happened last week, it was dealt with within an hour’s time and we are back to normal.”
But Sutherland said the concerns of drivers were legitimate, insisting increased security was a necessary measure to ensure the smooth operations of the company. He said on one occasion weeks ago, a “bullet also flew past” one of the drivers as they were driving through the community. The bullet shattered the vehicle’s wind-shield.
“The workers this morning (yesterday) decided that enough is enough, because these things continue to happen and at some point it has to stop.” Sutherland said once the necessary measures were put in place by the police the workers would feel safer.
“But if the situation remains the same the workers have a right to check their body, soul and spirit. This is a real issue because workers cannot go out there where buses are being stoned,” Sutherland said.
“A few buses came down from the east and south this morning (yesterday) into PTSC, but drivers did not feel safe to leave the compound to go back out.”
He noted, however, that the police should also look at a more permanent security measure on the PBR in the Beetham Gardens community.