Transport Board to address problems at East and West Bus Station terminals

Officials at the Antigua and Barbuda Transport Board have promised to address some of the problems affecting bus drivers at both the East and West Bus Station terminals.
The assurance came during a meeting last week with the executive of the Antigua and Barbuda Bus Station and managers and supervisors of both terminals, who are employed by the statutory corporation.
The drivers at both terminals have complained bitterly about the lack of adequate bathroom facilities and proper parking in the terminals.
Operators at the East Bus Station terminal are also upset about sewage-like water which apparently runs from the National Public Library and onto the area used for loading and offloading passengers.
Keithroy Black, president of the association, said that this was among some of the issues discussed during last week’s meeting.
“They told us that the water we are seeing was not sewage as was claimed by one of the drivers. There is a spring at the back of the building, and when it rains and the water level gets high, it spills over onto the road,” Black said.
Officials at the library have called on the Public Works Department to have the matter handled, but to no avail.
The transport board will be absorbing the cost of having the water diverted.
 Meanwhile, Black said that, “We also discussed the problem regarding the big stones that are located outside of the Factory Road entrance to the East Bus station. I spoke to the contractor earlier, and he will start working shortly to remove the stones and replace them with something more pleasing to the eye,” Black said.
Black also said that a boom would be placed at both entrances of the East Bus Station terminal to control the flow of traffic, and only buses will be allowed to enter and exit the enclosed area.
On the issue of adequate bathroom facilities, the head of the association said that  temporary bathroom facilities were ordered for both terminals and a cleaning staff will be on hand to ensure  that they are properly cleaned and maintained.
According to Black, the St. John’s Development Corpor-ation (SJDC) has also committed itself to completing the unfinished bathroom facilities at a terminal located in the lower portion of St. John’s.