As one of Barbados’ most anticipated annual cultural festivals draws to a close, two leading public transport industry associations have offered largely positive feedback on this year’s traffic coordination plans, crediting revised routing and advanced strategic planning for cutting gridlock and creating a smoother travel experience for both operators and festival-goers.
The Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) and the Association of Public Transport Owners (APTO) both confirmed that their members experienced far fewer disruptions to service compared to past iterations of the festival. Speaking exclusively to Barbados TODAY, AOPT chair Roy Raphael emphasized that congestion levels were markedly lower this year than in previous Crop Over cycles. “In past years, when event crowds moved through the Bank Hall corridor, it created massive headaches for our sector, making it extremely difficult to move passengers to and from festival sites,” Raphael explained. “This year’s adjusted arrangement eliminated many of those pain points, and we were very pleased with the outcome.”
Despite the overall improvement, Raphael highlighted key areas where organizers could refine future plans. The primary sticking point for operators was limited access to festival grounds, as widespread road closures forced public service vehicles, minibuses, and taxis to drop off and pick up passengers far from event entrances. To address this and align planning early, Raphael said his association has repeatedly requested a pre-event coordination meeting with the National Cultural Foundation and the Crop Over organizing committee, which would give transport stakeholders the opportunity to weigh in on road closure plans well in advance.
Raphael also pointed out specific gaps in parking and staging, particularly near popular festival sites like the Botanical Gardens. Currently, taxi operators must follow a convoluted diversion route, he noted, and while ride-hailing apps like Uber have helped some passengers connect with drivers, there is a clear need for a designated, official parking and pick-up zone for taxis to better serve attendees. He added that the 2024 festival saw a significant uptick in visitor use of private taxis, especially at smaller pre-festival events, while larger events were overwhelmingly served by Transport Board buses under an exclusive contract. Raphael argued that opening event transport access to all segments of the public transport sector, rather than limiting it to a single provider, would improve service for attendees and create more equitable opportunities for local operators.
Anwar Nana, chair of APTO and the new public service vehicle representative on the Transport Authority board, echoed Raphael’s overall satisfaction with this year’s traffic plans, noting that some level of disruption is unavoidable during large scale events. “Of course you’re going to see some disruption when you have a huge surge in travel around a major festival,” Nana said. “It’s normal, and the increased business balances out the minor inconveniences. We don’t have any major complaints on that front.”
However, Nana raised longstanding industry-wide concerns that extend beyond Crop Over event planning. He stressed that the public transport sector still needs to address behavioral issues among frontline staff, calling on drivers and conductors to improve their on-road conduct and adhere to uniform requirements to boost the sector’s public reputation. “If our workers do better, follow the rules, wear their required uniforms, and act professionally, everything else will fall into place,” Nana added.