00:00Video on the Transport Ministry's Facebook page shows Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Eli Zucour
00:06touring the Shogunas transit hub of the state-owned Public Transport Service Corporation, the PTSC.
00:14A few hours after his visit, Minister Zucour spoke during the post-Cabinet media conference on Thursday
00:19about the facility, which he said is ready to be reopened next Monday as a fully operational depot.
00:27Buses will now be stationed on-site, supported by a dedicated maintenance team,
00:35enabling quicker turnaround for repairs and better overall fleet management.
00:40This development will improve the efficiency, reliability, and responsiveness of PTSC services in Central Trinidad,
00:47while also creating a more stable base of operations for PTSC staff.
00:52This is a meaningful step towards restoring quality public transportation service in Shogunas.
01:00In response to a question from TV6 News, Minister Zucour said all other such PTSC transit depots are in need of upgrade
01:08and spoke of his planned visits to the San Fernando and Point 14 depots on Saturday.
01:13As the Transport Minister criticised the former PNM administration for the state of the transport depots,
01:21TV6 News posed the question about another aspect of the PTSC's operations.
01:26The former government had talked about the acquisition of electric or EV buses and so on,
01:32and new buses generally. Is that something you've had a chance to look at and review?
01:36Yes.
01:37We are looking at it now. Currently, PTSC only has roughly about 100 buses.
01:42Minister Zucour spoke about the impact on the nation's bus routes.
01:47In the last several years, 71 PTSC routes were discontinued because of lack of buses.
01:55So currently, we are right now reviewing all the PTSC routes.
01:59Currently, there's 79 approved routes and 71 that were discontinued.
02:04Currently, the fleet is aged. It's an aged fleet, and we are looking at adding buses to the fleet currently.
02:14As for the appointment of the Board of Directors of the PTSC, as well as another state-owned agency under the Transport Ministry,
02:22the Vehicle Management Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago, VEMCOT, Minister Zucour said,
02:27quote, currently, these boards have not been put in place, end quote.
02:33June Brown, TV6 News.
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