The Transport Board invites Expressions of Interest for an Engineering Consultant for a period of twelve months commencing 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2020.

For full details, click the link below to download the document:

Download Document

How to submit:

• Each Expression of Interest must be submitted in a sealed envelope marked:
  Expression of Interest – Transport Board Electric Bus Project
• Each Expression of Interest must be submitted to:
  Project Manager, Implementation Committee – Transport Board Electric Bus Project
  Transport Board
  “Weymouth”, Roebuck Street
  St. Michael.
• Expressions of Interest should be submitted not later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, 13th December, 2019.
• Envelopes should not bear the name of the tenderers.

Further information can be obtained from the General Manager on application.

The Board does not bind itself to accept the lowest of any Expression of Interest.

The Transport Board has noted the concerns raised by members of the public over the weekend by some frustrated commuters. Gena Boyce, the Board’s Operations Manager acknowledged that the Sturges route has been of some concern. “We are seeking to address all issues and measures are being put in place to address the Sturges route.” Boyce continued, “We have seen an increased demand in recent times and having already addressed the services during Monday to Friday, we are in the process of assigning additional services to this route on Sundays to accommodate our commuters. In the interim we will be deploying our smaller Hino buses to facilitate this route.”

Speaking to comments made relating to the Chalky Mount service, Mrs. Boyce remarked that a decision was made some five years ago in 2014 to reduce the service from the Princess Alice terminal to a limited service on Sundays but noted that the service continues to run from the Fairchild street terminal with regular frequency. She concluded, “The service levels for all routes are being examined as we move forward in an effort to improve our service delivery.”

The Board’s Chief Operations Officer Lynda Holder on addressing the recent frustrations of commuters, said, “The Transport Board takes pride in providing the best possible service we can to the Barbadian public. Any complaints received are usually subject to a full internal investigation and the Transport Board would like to apologise for any convenience caused to any of our loyal commuters.”

The Transport Board has a new Chief Executive Officer. He is Fabian Wharton.

Mr Wharton, who started on September 1, 2019 brings a wealth of experience to the Board. Wharton spent several years at Cable & Wireless Barbados in various managerial roles before leaving to pursue his own business ventures.

During his tenure at Cable & Wireless, Wharton held different regional positions where he was responsible for the consolidation of the data centres resulting in a reduction in operating costs. He was also integral in the retooling of human resources leading to increased productivity and was a key component in the renegotiation of all external contracts.

“I am looking forward to working alongside the team at the Transport Board and excited at the opportunity to continue the excellent work that the Chairman, Board of Directors and Management has been doing,” remarked Wharton.

The Chairman, Mr Ian Gooding-Edghill and the members of the Board of Directors, are enthusiastic about having Mr Wharton join the team at the Board. “Fabian brings a diverse knowledge base to the management team. He has knowledge of public transport but obviously, it will be from a different perspective.”

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO: Tuesday, 22 January 2019

The Barbados Transport Board in following up on an expression of interest issued on August 24, 2018 the Board is now inviting Bids for the supply of a fleet of electric buses, together with the requisite charging stations, on a revenue-sharing basis.

The arrangement to be put in place will require that: –

1. The Barbados Transport Board breaks even and budget transfers from Central Government be phased out.
2. The cost and risk of the acquisition the electric buses be borne solely by the bidder.
3. The bidder has adequate equity and resources to absorb shocks to revenue or increased cost without defaulting on the arrangement

Under the arrangement, the partner is expected to: –

1. Provide between 120 to 180 electric buses within 12 to 18 months on the signing of the contract and solely on the basis of the requirements stated above and in conformity with the technical requirements as defined in the specification sheet.
2. Conduct all necessary due diligence and negotiations with the Barbados Light and Power company with respect to the timeline, cost of charging stations and electricity rates.

The scope of the arrangement also includes providing technical inputs related to battery and battery management system data required for the design of electric vehicle chargers and providing support and resources in works related to battery management system interfaces etc., during the commissioning of electric vehicle chargers.

All bids must be accompanied by a Bid Security in the amount of BDS $5,000 in favour of the Barbados Transport Board and in the form as stipulated in the bidding documents.

Qualifying Requirements for bidders

1. The application must include a copy of the company’s Certificate of Incorporation. The certificate must be in the name of the applicant.
2. The bidder must provide proof of its ability to finance the acquisitions and to withstand any shocks in revenue or increased cost. No sovereign guarantee, letter of comfort, or other indication of support will be provided as part of the contract.
3. The bidder must furnish, along with its bid, a letter of understanding, supported by a Board Resolution pledging unconditional and irrevocable financial support for the execution of the contract by the bidder in case of award.
4. A copy of the most recent audited financial statement must also accompany the bid document.

The Barbados Transport Board reserves the right to reject any or all bids or cancel/withdraw the invitation for bids without assigning any reason whatsoever and in such case no bidder/ intending bidder shall have any claim arising from such action.

The Barbados Transport Board is not responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by Applicants in connection with the preparation of delivery of the Bid.

The original and one (1) electronic copy of the Bid, clearly marked “Bid to partner with the Transport Board in the acquisition of electric buses” must be prepared in English and delivered in sealed envelopes to the following address no later than 4:30pm on Friday, 11 January 2019 Tuesday, 22 January 2019

The Tenders Committee
Transport Board
Weymouth
Roebuck Street
Bridgetown

The Bid must be placed in the Tenders Box located at the above address.

Late submissions will not be accepted and will be returned unopened to the applicants.

The Sharon Moravian Church, the Sixty-third Anniversary Celebrations of the Barbados Transport Board on Sunday, August 26, 2018 at 9:30 a.m.

• Reverend Movelle Kellman
• Hon. Dr. William Duguid, J.P., M.P. Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance
• Hon Peter Phillips, M.P. Minister in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance
• Mr Mark Cummins, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance
• Mr. Gregory Nicholls, Chairman of the Transport Board
• Members of the Board of Directors of the Transport Board
• Members of the management team of the Transport Board
• Sir Roy Trotman, Former General Secretary and Members of the Barbados Workers’ Union
• Distinguished Guests
• Staff of the Transport Board
• Members of the Media
• Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Morning,

As acting General Manager, it gives me great pleasure to be here as the Transport Board celebrates this significant milestone in its operations. Sixty-three years in the life of any organisation is a notable achievement. This feat has been achieved through much effort and a high level of commitment, dedication and perseverance by staff.

From an entity starting on August 24, 1955 with few employees and even fewer vehicles, the Transport Board has grown into an organization employing approximately 600 persons and servicing about 100 routes across every constituency in this island.

In accordance with the Transport Board Act of Parliament, the Board’s objectives are to:

1. carry goods and passengers by road within the island;
2. provide, maintain and operate a passenger road transport service; and
3. provide such other amenities and facilities for passengers and other persons making use of the services provided.

I am not going to provide you with all the details of our history but will encourage you to visit our website at www.transportboard.com for further information.

As Transport Board celebrates our birthday, I am not going to hide our shortcomings in the back seat a bus but admit that during the past few years, there have been a number of challenges. The Board of Directors and the Management are cognizant of the long hours that you are kept waiting for a bus. We have heard your cries for an improvement in the transportation service and we are acting.

What has been done? The Transport Board has implemented a number of policies and procedures all with one fundamental focus, that is to provide a reliable and efficient service to the people of Barbados while minimizing the strain on the public purse. We have begun the process of improving bus availability, improving our facilities to world standards, reducing wait times and increasing customer engagement and interaction.

Some of the strategic initiatives include the maintenance of an acceptable fleet of buses, development and training of our staff (permit me to say here that the Transport Board can boast of some of the best Drivers in the world), implementation of new schedules and the deployment of new technology initiatives.

Currently, the Board has made requests for Expressions of Interest for the procurement of clean energy CNG, Electric and Hybrid buses and for a Fleet Management Solutions System.
As acting General Manager, I want to reassure all of you that I, along with my management team and staff will work assiduously with all stakeholders including United Autoworks Commercial Limited (UCAL), Barbados Workers Union, Unity Workers Union, Ministries and Service Providers to ensure to ensure that the buses are available to you on time and that we improve all aspects of our operations, to ensure that the Board transitions into a viable, efficient and modern organization catering to the needs of the 21st Century.

To those persons who have laid the foundation, those who partnered with us in previous projects and who will work with us on current or upcoming projects including the Unions and past and current members of staff, your contributions have brought the Board through the past sixty three years to be “still standing tall today”. We thank you for all that you have been done.

I close by reminding you that “Together We Can (My slogan), Together we Will and Together we Must”.

I pray God’s blessings on our Government, our Organization and the people of Barbados and ask His favour on our land, that He may prosper us with the plans that He has for this our beloved Nation.

• Honourable Peter Phillips – Minister in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance
• Associate Pastor- Reverend Movelle Kellman
• Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance- Mr. Mark Cummins
• General Manager of the Transport Board- Ms. Felicia Sue and other members of staff of the Transport Board
• Distinguished members of the Congregation
• Members of the media
• Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning,
It is indeed a distinct pleasure to address you this morning at the historic Sharon Moravian church and we thank you for allowing us to celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the Transport Board in your presence.

It is with much pleasure that I take this opportunity to offer congratulations to the Transport Board as it celebrates another year of supplying public transport to the people of Barbados.

You might be aware that the Transport Board is mandated to service the travelling public by providing public transportation across Barbados as efficiently as possible. Unfortunately, within the last few years the Transport Board has experienced a number of challenges but has continued to maintain its core public service objectives in spite of the challenges it has faced. I recently toured the Board with a team and saw first-hand the issues that the management and staff are struggling to overcome. These issues in turn have automatically led to challenges for the travelling public. In speaking with staff and commuters the issues were made even clearer to us. The way forward is for all us to work together.

To address these challenges, the Government of Barbados, led in this instance by myself and the Hon Peter Phillips, have embarked on a number of initiatives with the Transport Board that are intended to bring this institution to the level of excellence previously enjoyed. The end result of these initiatives will be an improvement in its service delivery and a more efficient and accessible transport system for the travelling public. First and foremost is the immediate plan of improving bus availability.

As we all know the Prime Minister, Hon Mia Mottley identified the Transport Board and the return of buses to the roads of Barbados as part of the government’s list of mission critical policies and actions. We have therefore developed a team to work on the repairing of the existing buses and this has been augmented by an extra shift for mechanics. This is slowly showing results and we have seen an increase in the number of buses on our roads in the last three weeks. I have been reliably advised that when school reopens on September 10th, the Transport Board will be ready to meet the demands of the travelling public.

The second part of this initiative is to improve the fleet by purchasing additional clean energy buses. This is the long term plan. It takes a while to build and ship buses to Barbados so we can’t sit back and wait for this to happen. So the immediate plan is the repairs mentioned before.

We have also noted the issues that are being experienced by commuters outside of the extended bus waiting times such as the lack of enough seating in the terminals and the heat. These issues and others such as safety and security at the various locations are also of concern and are being addressed and we should be seeing and experiencing an improvement in these areas in the immediate future.

Collaborative programmes between the government and the people of Barbados are what will be necessary to move us all forward. The Transport Board staff have taken the steps to initiate something of this nature on a small scale with an internal beautification programme being done by the staff to ensure that the places where they spend so much of their time are kept in a specific state. The idea of bringing plants, painting locations and the cleaning of your surroundings are part of a collaborative effort, although on a small scale, that can be used to improve your daily situation and are to be applauded.

Other initiatives include the greater use of technology for both the staff and the commuters. Areas such as being able to track when a bus has left a terminal and the ability to connect with personnel at the Transport Board are among those initiatives. As we have all heard “there is an app for that”, these will also be explored. In keeping with the technology the Transport is also exploring the use of a smart card system which may be topped up as is done with your mobile phone.

But we must also say that the government is also actively working on improving the revenue generating capacity of the Transport Board. All areas must be explored as the generation of revenue is critical to the survival of this entity. Therefore, the regular route network must be looked in terms of the schedules to maximise not only ridership but by extension revenue. Also the marketing or commercial section such as the charters and advertising sections as well as the booths at the various locations must be allowed to grow. The funds which can possibly be generated from these areas are needed to supplement what the government will be doing.

I wish to express my thanks to the hardworking staff for their commitment, dedication and perseverance. In addition, the tremendous assistance provided by key stakeholders has been important in ensuring that the Transport Board reached this milestone.

In closing I offers congratulations again, on behalf of the Government of Barbados and on my own behalf, to the Transport Board for its role in the economic and social development of Barbados and wish it continued success in the future.

Dr. the Honourable William Duguid, J.P., M.P.
Minister of Transport Works & Maintenance