Trinidad, a
country whose main form of economic activities include industrialization and
tourism, heavily depends on transportation especially within cities. Cities are
known for their high population densities and heavy economic activities. With
this in mind, in such cities as Port of Spain and San Fernando and towns such
as Chaguanas, there must be a provision of reliable and efficient
transportation systems that can be accessed by those in theses urban areas.
Transportation and planning have evolved greatly over the years in order to
make spaces more accessible and liveable for citizens.
In the cities
and towns of Trinidad there are several modes of transportation which include
buses, maxis, taxis and water taxis. Today’s blog will further discuss the
efficiency of these different modes of transportation available to our
population.
Buses- PTSC
The PTSC provides a vast variety of services to the
population of Trinidad and Tobago. These services include:
· 1. National bus transportation services
· 2. Charter bus service
· 3. Contracted School Transport Service
· 4. Advertising space for the public
· 5. Specialized Transport Services
· 6. Rental of commercial space
· 7. Engineering services to the Caribbean
region
The PTSC
operates on a ticket system by which ticket of several prices can be bought at
any PTSC station location or even at grocery stores and it operates on a daily
schedule. The PTSC is known for its safety
and efficiency provided to our citizens. The PTCS is also focused on providing
services to their customers especially the employee driven population.
Additionally they are known to provide services for the elderly population. The
efficiency of the PTSC stems from its ability to provide transportation at the
most suitable times at a low cost. In relation to the provision of
transportation services to an employee driven population, travelling to cities
where their jobs are located, the PTSC have been considered to be one of the
most cost efficient and safe modes of transportation.
The PTSC
operates within certain hours on a daily basis. The hours at which they operate
are considered to be efficient for the working class population and for
students, when other modes of transportation fails to provide services either
due to their cost and availability. The PTSC also provides comfortable
transportation services. Imagine someone working from a time period of 9AM to
4PM in the bustling and noisy city, after a long day’s work that individual
will be craving comfort and relaxation by which the PTSC provides with the use
of air-conditioned, spacious and comfortable seats for passengers.
Stemming from
the accessibility of transportation services provided to the elderly
population. Elderly citizens can access the PTSC bus services by simply
presenting their national identification cards to the bus drivers. The PTSC
also provides Transportation for students. The image below shows the PTSC bus
at the University of the West Indies St. Augustine. The bus services are used
by student on a daily basis because it a cheaper. Most student use the buses to
return to their homes on weekends.
Operation of the PTSC at the University of the West
Indies.
Besides the provision of services to employees,
student and the elderly, the PTSC can also be accessed by incapacitated
citizens. These citizens do not travel on normal buses are the rest of the
population would but there are specialized buses made specifically for incapacitated
citizens. In all, the PTCS attempts to provide transportation for all citizens
of Trinidad and Tobago within cities, towns and urban regions.
Link for PTSC Departure schedule and prices- http://www.ptsc.co.tt/Tickets_and_Travel_.html
Maxis.....
Maxi taxi services are privately owner operated modes
of transportation in Trinidad. Maxis are like mini buses that offer services to
different routes of transportation across Trinidad. Unlike the PTSC buses
instead of picking up passengers at bus stop, maxis operate by stopping and
picking up passengers along the road and there are no designated bus top. The
prices are almost as reasonable as the PTSC. Also, Unlike the PTSC, the maxi
taxi service is not only available to the urban population but it reaches even
to rural areas such as Moruga, Indian walk, Guayaguayare and Point Fortin in
attempt to facilitate transportation from rural to urban areas.
The maxi
taxis operate in different areas in Trinidad, due to this each maxi taxi
operating in several areas can be identified based on the colour of their
bands. The Maxi taxis and their area identification is indicated below.
POS- Arima- Sangre Grande- Red Band
POS- Diego Martin- Yellow Band
POS- San Fernando- Curepe- Green Band
San Fernando- Princes Town- Mayaro- Black Band
South of San Fernando (Point Fortin, Cedros, Siparia)- Brown Band
POS- Arima- Sangre Grande- Red Band
POS- Diego Martin- Yellow Band
POS- San Fernando- Curepe- Green Band
San Fernando- Princes Town- Mayaro- Black Band
South of San Fernando (Point Fortin, Cedros, Siparia)- Brown Band
San
Fernando Maxi Stand in Princes Town.
Princes Town Maxi Stand
for the Areas of New Grant, St. Mary’s, Moruga, Tableland and Rio Claro.
Chaguanas Maxi Stand in
San Fernando
Taxis......
Taxis in Trinidad and Tobago have an extremely high efficiency and is one of the most used modes of transportation throughout the country. Taxis fall under private ownership and times of operation can change depending on the driver, but usually operate during the working hours or 6:00 am and 6:00 pm. This mode of transportation is in as much high demand as maxis and PTSC buses simply due to the fact that some individuals do not own personal cars and have no personal mode of transportation and so they require transportation to and from their journeys on a daily basis. Taxis operate throughout many streets in the country and collect passengers at any point or passengers would assemble at taxis stands and then be taken to their destinations.
Rio Claro Taxi Stand in
Princes Town.
Water Taxi.....
The Water Taxi is the most recent
mode of transportation in Trinidad and was introduced by the Government in
2008. Want a fun and exciting way to get from one part of the country to
another? I recommend the water taxi. This mode of transportation was introduced
to alleviate traffic congestion and aid citizens travelling from the North to
the South of Trinidad, specifically from Port-of-Spain to San Fernando. This
mode of transportation is extremely efficient as its travel time between
destinations is around 45 minutes. This aids citizens from the North-West of
Trinidad or even along the East-West corridor who have jobs in the Southern
parts of the country and vice versa. The Water taxi rate is $15.00 for a
one-way ticket and a child below the age of one or an elder citizen over the
age of 65 are allowed to travel for free on the Water Taxi and its earliest
departure is at 6:00 am from San Fernando and its latest departure is at 5:30
pm from Port-of-Spain, while having other shifts throughout the day.
These forms of
transportation allow people to live freely, wherever they choose, while having
accessibility to the cities and towns where they may have jobs, families to visit
or for something as simple as recreation. These modes of transportation
mentioned above are fast, convenient and essential to citizens in their daily
lives. Rachel Kyle (2016), the vice-president of sustainable development at the
World Bank proposed that public transport is a huge benefit to people of the lower
class as it would allow them more opportunities as opposed to settling for job
opportunities nearer to where they reside (usually in walking distance) and
provides them with more access to education, health and recreation. Some people
may disagree as they prefer the comfort of their own vehicles but I would
personally urge people to take public transport; it's faster, less pollution
and you'll save gas money!
Public Transportation Works!
A bit repetitive from an earlier post.
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