by Marlon Madden
Commuters travelling on public transportation will soon be able to go from one location on the island to the next without having to traverse to the Fairchild Street or Princess Alice bus terminals in Bridgetown.
This is because the Barbados Transport Board is in the process of coming up with a plan that will make it easier for passengers to transfer from one bus to the next at new transfer hubs across the country.
This was disclosed by Chief Operations Officer of the Barbados Transport Board Lynda Holder, who indicated that the electric buses will better allow for this type of transportation network.
“The idea of the transfer hub is actually very active right now. We have been putting together some plans.
We need to understand how Barbadians travel . . . we normally leave our homes and go to one of The City hubs right now to transfer somewhere else.
That is because public transport is right now set up that way, where you can only get to the other point by going through one of the city hubs. We are looking to change that,” said Holder.
She made the comments recently as a panelist during the Electric Mobility Transition session of the Barbados Sustainable Energy Conference, which was held in conjunction with the 7th biennial Caribbean Sustainable Energy Forum While Holder gave no indication of how soon the plan would be rolled out, she indicated that the transfer hubs would likely start in the north of the island.
“So we are looking to put hubs at all of our locations starting with the north and we will then have persons able to transfer at that point.
The idea of transferring to another form of E-vehicle, whether it is a bicycle, scooter or anything else, is very good to hear, but in terms of public transport we are working right now to have a set up where persons can transfer from one point, even on the highway.
“We have started doing a lot more cross-country buses so persons are not forced to go into Bridgetown to get to their other point.
“So you can transfer from one bus to another bus coming across cross-country, and we are looking to expand on that type of development to make sure that the island travel as we know it can now not only have to head to Bridgetown or to Oistins but can branch out in different locations.
“It is something we are actively looking at, and with the electric vehicles it makes it a more comfortable transfer. Apart from the air condition you can also continue to do your business because you now have wi-fi as well,” Holder explained.
In addition to the two bus terminals in The City, the Transport Board also has a bus station in Speightstown, St Peter and a hub in Oistins, Christ Church.
Joanna Edghill, Managing Director of electric vehicle supplier Megapower, said she would like to see the island’s capital becoming a zone for only pedestrians and electric bicycle tours as Barbados moves towards 100 per cent renewable energy goal.
“I would like to see Bridgetown as a zero-emission zone and it makes sense with the cruise terminal there.
Passengers could pick up an electric bicycle and go through town and visit George Washington House, the Oval and come back, and we make that area more friendly and accessible for bicycles without feeling a level of danger,” said Edghill.
Pointing to the issue of diabetes on the island, she also recommended that the Transport Board install bicycle racks on its buses to encourage people to do more cycling and have the option of taking the bus as part of that journey.
“As a diabetic nation we all need to be more active,” she said, adding that “cycle-and-bus could work very well in Barbados”.
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