Those hot, packed buses with hard, sticky seats may be a thing of the past soon. And that's because the Ministry Of Transport has made it mandatory for all buses to upgrade at least 50% of their fleet. While things may still appear normal on the outside, these buses are now fully air conditioned with comfortable seating and space. Jo Marie Lanza spoke with the minister today about the new upgrade's - here's her story:

Over the years the Ministry Of Transport has struggled to enforce bus upgrades within the public transport system. Today, Gilharry, James, and Westline buses lined up for the Minister Of Transport and his officials who took a quick tour to inspect some of the new changes made to the interior of the buses. These upgrades include new seats, air conditioning, and repairs to windows. And while the minister carefully inspected the buses, one might ask, are these upgrades enough to improve the commuters experience? Ferguson told us today that he is satisfied with the 50% upgrade taken on by the bus owners.

Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Transport
"We put it in place beginning of 2023 and we said by december 2023 there must be some upgrade and we were asking for 50% but at the same time we are very conscious of the situation financially so this is a start and we appreciate this."

Jo
"How many buses have made the commitment to this 50%."

Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Transport
"Well so far James tells me that they have done 9 buses already. Gilharry I did two and I think west line that is here did about five or six likewise so that is the beginning of the transformation. I know Tillets in the north also did some so I will be doing our inspection and we will know by the end of the year who all upgraded because the inspection was done already."

And with a new chief transport officer at his side, it may speed up the process of improving the quality of service offered within the public transport system. Moreover holding the bus owners to task and ensuring that they continue their upkeep standards enforced by the Transport Department.

Leon Gentle, Chief transport officer
"Like The minister would say I was placed in the hot seat, so as you mentioned earlier, you had asked, how will I hold the bus operators to task we've been in dialect since I've been in office, and we've had several meetings with them to look at what it is that we are trying to do as it relates to transport and improving the quality of service for those commuters on the road. it's important for us to continue to dialogue with them and to ensure that what it is that we've discussed is what we hold them to task."

"There are some standards that are new, we are requesting that there is an upgrade in terms of the seating as well as an upgrade in terms of the years of the bus itself the life of the bus so it is important for them to understand that the standards have not really changed as it relates to those that have been in place for sometime now it's just that we want to improve the quality of service that is there for the commuters."

Upgrading the buses is not something the ministry can do on its own. It requires a cooperative effort from both the bus owners and the department. The BBA secretary says that they continue to work together despite their differences

Ewart Metzgen, Secretary BBA
"How this came about is last Friday we had a meeting with the minister, the CEO and the new CTO and in that meeting we decided to do this together between the bus association and the department of transport to show that we are working together to try and meet the goals that were set by the ministry and on the improvements of the buses that we as operators have been tasked to do. So what's happening out here today is an effort between the bus association and the department of transport to show the general public that with all our differences, we are still trying to work together to try and improve the system for the best of the commuters."