THE government yesterday signed a five-year industrial agreement with the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) as Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald denied that recent disputes between union executives and embattled President Belinda Wilson hampered the process.

A SEARCH wass under way last night for a yacht captain who reportedly fell overboard in Bahamian waters.

Minister of Works Philip Brave Davis said yesterday that electricity supplies across New Providence will not be compromised as a result of the upcoming International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Relays. Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) Executive Chairman Leslie Miller warned on Tuesday that consumers will likely face power cuts during the upcoming relays.

"First of all, the historic challenges that have attended the generation plants at Clifton and Blue Hills have caught up with us," said Davis outside the House of Assembly. We are now trying to address that as quickly as we can.

"The load shedding that is occurring now is as a result of that. The fact that the IAAF Relays are on this weekend will not in any way compromise the services to the whole island. Hopefully, if all things go well we might be able to not have to load shed as widespread as we have."

The relays, considered to be the grandest sporting event to ever be held in The Bahamas, will take place this weekend. Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr. Daniel Johnson also said in the House that "no blackouts" will happen during the relays.

"The Thomas Augustus Robinson stadium has four generators, 20,000 gallons of fuel and can actually run on its own for five days," he said. "Secondly, all of the systems are prepped and ready to go. It is not that they were not ready, but everything has been tested and we are beyond ready."

About 1,000 athletes, coaches and officials, along with 100 journalists from about 50 countries, are expected in town for the games. Thousands of customers in New Providence were left without power for hours on Monday as the corporation lost one of its 26.5 megawatt engines at the Clifton Pier Power Station.

BEC is expected to load shed until next week. BEC expects that the temporary generator units supplied by Aggreko will be installed and operational within the next four weeks. An initial five megawatts of Aggreko temporary units should be on island within the next few days, the corporation said.

Davis did not answer questions about the BEC reform process. The process, which has been delayed multiple times, has generated criticisms from many. Once the deal is struck, a management company will manage the corporation in much the same way Vancouver Airport Services Ltd. was hired to run Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA).

Dear Editor,

In 2012, after the fanfare of the election was over and all the appointments made, Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna-Martin said that she was committed to resolving the poor state of affairs when it comes to the public bus system. Three years later we are still in an appalling state and there appears to be no sign of relief. I ride buses occasionally, and my accounts here are firsthand experiences:

o Most bus drivers don't even allow you to sit down when you enter their bus. Once you get in the aisle, you better hold on for dear life, because they release the clutch very quickly, all in attempt to reach the next customer first.

o Loud music is still a major problem on a lot of buses. I have literally received headaches after a bus ride because of the loud music played. Most of the songs played are by international artists and some of the messages are exceedingly vulgar. I am quite sure that some repeat passengers have had to go to the hospital because of the loud music and that some drivers will develop hearing problems later in life. It also seems that loud music is played sometimes because this attracts the school students who can be seen nodding their heads to the music and singing songs verbatim.

o Reckless driving is pervasive amongst jitney drivers. They sometimes overtake three to four vehicles at a time and they stop in the middle of the road to stop another jitney from passing. In some instances passengers have to yell 'Bus stop', and this sometimes creates a problem because by the time the bus driver realizes this, the passenger is well past his intended destination. In other cases, drivers stop suddenly and try to hurry the passenger off the bus so that another bus cannot get ahead.

o Drinking is another major problem amongst some of our jitney drivers. Bottles are not visible, but cups with ice along with the mixers can be clearly seen. I was on a bus recently and the female driver stopped the bus by a popular restaurant and said that she had to go use the restroom. Of course she stumbled her way to the bathroom and back, pulling up her pants after every five to six paces.

o Vulgar language is another key issue amongst jitney drivers. Even with the loud music, you can still hear constant foul language with no regard or respect for the passengers, who in a lot of cases are school children.

o Some bus drivers also employ young men who collect the bus fare. These young men in a lot of instances hold the money in their hands in the plain view of all passengers. This is a security risk and increases the chances, in my view, of robbery.

o Taking short cuts is another issue that is widespread amongst jitney drivers. I have caught buses where drivers have veered off course where there was no traffic diversion. They go through side corners, parking lots, drive on sidewalks and sometimes cut their routes all in an effort to reach the next customer first.

o Finally, bus drivers sometimes drive too slowly when they are trying to collect passengers. This happens mostly in the early mornings. If you catch the bus at 6 a.m. and the next jitney is about eight to 10 minutes behind, the bus driver will park at some bus stops for several minutes, frustrating those passengers who are trying to get to work on time. Once another bus approaches, the race is on and bus drivers will literally do anything to reach passengers first. Some customers speak out against this, but the majority of passengers remain quiet because they fear being insulted and even being asked to exit the bus.

These are just some of the issues that bus passengers face daily. It is indeed a terrifying experience for thousands of Bahamians who catch the bus daily, with most of them having no other option to get to and from work.

Now there are some bus drivers who, despite their other shortcomings, go beyond the call of duty. They go through corners when it is raining to drop off customers; they sometimes allow customers to ride free of charge, and some of them provide jitney service starting from as early as 5 a.m. until as late as 8 p.m. Some of our jitney drivers always drive their routes; they drive safely, and they provide passengers with a comfortable ride to their destination. These drivers are to be commended.

The poor state of affairs of the public bus service is not all the fault of the bus drivers. Owners also play an integral part in all of this because they have the capacity to initiate proper changes with the relevant government agencies. I ask the owners, when will they pay bus drivers a weekly salary and do more to assist the government in providing better service to passengers?

Additionally, passengers still enter the buses without the exact fare, and this causes traffic delays because bus drivers continue the practice of giving change. I have also seen where some persons refuse to pay the jitney drivers the correct fare and many times drivers have to settle for one dollar or even less. This is totally unfair to the drivers.

I know some may ask what I have done to contribute to a solution to this problem. I have had my share of encounters with bus drivers where I have told them that they have to allow me to sit down when I enter the bus. I have also complained about the loud music and the reckless driving.

I am saying to the honorable minister, who I do not believe rides on jitneys, to please as a matter of urgency and for the public good, rectify this situation forthwith. The Bahamian public would like to see your promise fulfilled. I know the traffic police are on the road and they are citing bus drivers daily, but we need a total revamping of the public bus system.

In 1993, when I attended college away, I was so surprised to see that buses actually ran on a schedule, with no music in the bus to irritate passengers. The drivers were properly dressed, they did not drink alcohol while driving, they did not swear and you had to pay the correct fare when entering the bus. There was no overtaking three and four vehicles and reckless driving was non-existent. This was 22 years ago.

Is this too much to ask to ensure the safety of jitney passengers and drivers? Shouldn't passengers be able to enter a bus without the fear of ending up in the hospital because of our reckless and grossly under-regulated public bus system? Can't passengers have meaningful conversations without shouting, read the newspaper and feel safe while on a bus ride in 2015?

- Dehavilland Moss