Page 3 - Roy Raphael News Today

The proposed Mass Transit Authority will be a key element in bringing stability and reliability to the transportation sector in Barbados.This is the view of Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael, who also said the amalgamation of transportation organisations under a single umbrella authority should be a welcomed replacement to the current disjointed approach.“Having the Mass Transit Authority in place is very critical to our livelihood going forward. It appears...

The Alliance Owners Of Public Transport (AOPT) is fully on board with Government’s move to a cashless system, but it may not be able to make the switch at the speed of the Transport Board. In addition, says chairman Roy Raphael, they are putting plans in place to transform conductors, who would no longer be needed, into drivers when the system fully kicks into gear. He said they had started …

Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators could soon be paying less for fuel under an arrangement with a major player in the industry.Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael has revealed to Barbados TODAY that the association is working with RUBIS on a deal that would provide them with much-needed savings.He said stakeholders recently had initial discussions with that company as well as other fuel companies, and although mum on the quantum and other details of the sav...

Over the next year, a number of Public Service Vehicles (PSV) and taxi operators will be using some form of renewable energy to power their vehicles.This view was shared by Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael, who told Barbados TODAY that the association was researching all options in order to transform the transportation sector here into a fully green energy-based one. He expects about 15 per cent of the PSVs should be green energy compliant.“We did meet wit...

Operators of taxis, route taxis, and minibuses have been warned to be extra vigilant during the upcoming las’ lap Crop Over weekend, amid fears that they could be targets of criminal attacks.A worried chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael on Thursday issued the caution as he also called on Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce to put more patrols on the roads to help protect taxi drivers and other Public Service Vehicles (PSVs).      He said taxi drivers are ...

By Marlon MaddenFrom as early as next weekend, some taxi, ZR and minibus drivers will be outfitted with security cameras and GPS machines in their vehicles and they would be asking commuters to lower their masks upon entering, as part of new security measures.Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael told Barbados TODAY that the security measures were necessary given the mounting concerns among privately-owned public service vehicle (PSV) operators about safety.“Th...

It is time to press the brakes on the “bad behaviour” in the transport sector, says chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael. In an interview yesterday, Raphael said his association and the Association of Public Transport Operators could not by themselves curtail deviance in the sector, adding it would take a multi-pronged approach to bring an end to the “ZR-van culture” in Barbados. Raphael was …

Come August 1, commuters can start paying for their taxi fare using the mobile application MyReadyCa$h.The new mobile application, which can be downloaded from the Apple Store and Play Store, will allow commuters to pay for their journey with the scan of a QR code by the taxi operators.Speaking to reporters in Heroes Square on Friday to announce the introduction of the new payment system, Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael said the roll-out will be done in sta...

The associations representing taxi operators in The City are expected to put several issues on the table next week when they meet with Government officials.Officials of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) and the Barbados Taxi Alliance are expected to raise issues relating to the lack of bathroom facilities and shelter, as well as displacement of some taxi operators, when they meet with representatives of the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. next Thursday.Chairman of the AOPT Roy Raph...

Another attack on a public service vehicle (PSV) operator has strengthened the resolve of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport to champion for a legislative change to ensure their safety. A driver of a Route 3 PSV, which works from Bridget