Caption:  Transport Secretary Roy Mumu.

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, May 8, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG) 

 

SECRETARY for Transport Roy Mumu has indicated advertisement of cancellation of license of Public Motor Vehicles (PMVs) when revealing statistics of Port Moresby’s public transport system of buses and taxis.

He said according the 2005 study conducted to determine PMV ceilings in the city and routing for buses, the required number buses for the 25 routes should be at 1500, while taxis are to be at 1000 operators.

“Based on a 2005 study conducted by Mel Research, based on that it recommended 25 routes for buses and all those routes were to be allocated 60 buses to be operated on each route,” Mr Mumu said.

“Between 2007 to now out of the 1500 ceiling of buses on record at the department licenses issued are 1186 for buses.”

“Out of that we identified that 589 are longer in operation- so we will advertise in the media to inform all operators that the registration and licence numbers for those not in operation will be cancelled.”

He told operators that his officers would liaise with the PMV Association to verify the numbers before advertisement takes place.

“As a result of that we have identified that 597 are in operation now in the city- we also noted in two surveys that there are 667 black and white number plates (not register PMVs) that are operating in the city at the moment which we have counted during road blocks.

“Of that 200 applicants are waiting for the new RTA board to approve, so that means that we have vacancies to allow for new buses, but our concern is why do black and whites continue to operate competing against licensed operators?”

Taxi operators’ statistics show 1901 taxi licenses registered from a ceiling approved following the 2005 study set at 1000 operators.

“On record we have issued 1901 more than the ceiling and we are going through some verifications on how many are operating at the moment but we have identified that 986 taxi licenses will be cancelled.”

“As soon as we finalize that before we advertise we will verify with the industry. Of that 986 licenses we are aware that licenses have expired for over 2 years, we will verify and liaise before advertising to cancel.”

Mr Mumu also spoke of the increase in the number of fake taxi operators who just changed plates of private vehicles to taxi plates, and are unlawfully competing with licensed taxi operators.

“I admit that enforcement is very poor and weak and under the Road Traffic Authority, the board will approve new enforcement arrangements.”

“Our (current) enforcement officers are casuals who are engaged for three months at a time, and it has been going on since my predecessor’s time.”

“With the current situation I have laid them off and we hope to pay their final entitlements within the next week or so,” he added.