The drive to introduce electric and hybrid minibuses and route taxis has hit a speed bump, the operators’ spokesman said Wednesday.
Days after launching a project to transition public service vehicles (PSVs) from fossil fuels to renewable energy, a lack of government funding has forced its suspension, Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Roy Raphael has told Barbados TODAY.
Funds earmarked by the Mia Mottley administration for the transition almost a year ago have not been released, he said.
“Since the government would have made available through the budgetary proposals last year, $3 million to the transport sector as an energy loan through Fund Access, to this day we have not been given a cent,” he said.
“We have 25 persons who are ready, willing and able to transition their vehicles to renewable energy. Two weeks ago, we launched our Transport Energy Project, but because of the fact that we are unable to access the loan, it will place the project on hold.”
The AOPT leader explained that the money appeared not to have been transferred from the Ministry of Finance to Fund Access as yet.
“We have a business development officer. She would have interviewed about 25 people who had expressed an interest in obtaining the loan to start the transition. The loan is supposed to be about $150 000 to be repaid in 10 years’ time with three per cent interest.
“The project was launched based on the promise made by the government to make the $3 million available to the sector. But we have tried on a number of occasions to try to speak to the minister of finance on this matter. I know we have the blessing of the minister of energy [Senator Lisa Cummins]. We have had good discussions with her actually. We have had a lot of discussions with her as it relates to the transition. But really and truly, the loan falls within the Ministry of Finance. So, we are saying, without the loan, we can no longer continue the project.”
Raphael contended that the project is very important, especially considering the number of PSVs on the road.
“We have close to 10 000 permits, which include ZRs, ZMs, hired cars, hired limousines…and those are the vehicles the sector is basically responsible for assisting in transitioning to electric, hybrid or even natural gas,” he asserted.
In March last year, Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced in her budget that some $3 million would be made available to the PSV sector to borrow to buy hybrid, natural gas or electric-powered vehicles as part of the government’s drive to transition the country to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030.
Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ryan Straughn could not be reached up to the time of publication for comment.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
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