Bus drivers warn of rising piracy, weak enforcement on key route

Pressure is mounting for bus drivers on the 2H Castries–Vieux Fort route as promised reforms stall. Policy changes remain stuck at government talks, infrastructure upgrades are infrequent and minimal, and more commuters are purchasing vehicles to adapt. But some drivers say the most pressing concern is weak enforcement, as piracy continues to rise.

Kurt Celestine has been working the route for years. He now serves as public relations officer of the Southern Minibus Association (2H) and president of the 4C Minibus Association—the 4C Vieux Fort to Augier, Grace and La Ressource route, another one he’s licensed to operate in. As he fields phone calls from members while parked at the back of a long queue at the Castries bus stand, he describes to St Lucia Times what it’s like in his line of work these days.

“It’s kind of competitive,” says Celestine. “Our work now has become a hassle. We have different members from different associations competing with us on the road on a daily basis. Piracy has been something we’ve dealt with for a number of years.”

The ‘public transport sector’ in Saint Lucia comprises privately owned buses regulated by government legislation. According to the Traffic Act, to legally transport passengers, bus owners must obtain a permit from the Licensing Authority and may pick up passengers only on the specific route they’ve been permitted to operate.

2H drivers say piracy is now common, with drivers assigned to other routes and unregistered operators picking up passengers along their route daily – directly impacting their livelihoods. Celestine notes this concern is shared islandwide.

As he speaks, he receives a call from a member of his association who relays a licence plate number and a location – another instance of alleged piracy. But there is little he can do.

Their frustrations are tinged with a sense of helplessness. They say they have flagged their concerns with both law enforcement and the government to little avail, despite the risk the practice poses to the public. 

“I know a lot of the passengers don’t know that they are not covered on the roadway because they’re travelling on someone’s private vehicle,” said another driver at the bus stand, speaking anonymously. 

More troubling is an accusation that two alleged piracy offenders may be part of the police force.

“We have a situation there with two police officers, both of them have buses and they don’t have an ‘H’, nor an ‘M’,” said Marcellinus Faisal, president of the Southern Minibus Association. “One has a P and the other a straight number, and every morning they’re running the route. In the afternoon, they load by the fire service, they park there or by S&S and they load passengers.”

He is referring to the licence plate system issued once bus owners are granted the legal right to operate, which bears an “M” before a three- to four-digit number, something that comes at a significant cost. Number plates with a “P”, however, are designated for regular private vehicle owners.

Faisal, visibly exasperated, says he believes the situation requires intervention by higher authorities.

“Every single day it’s happening and they’re saying that nobody can stop them,” he says about the officers allegedly operating illegally on their route. “We are asking the commissioner and the prime minister to look into that. I’ve reported it to some of them in the ministry, [but] they are not doing anything about it. So, I am asking the commissioner of police and the prime minister to look into that.”

Following a request for comment from the police, St Lucia Times received the following statement: “The Department of Road Safety and Traffic Investigations is looking into the allegations in an effort to bring it to a halt.”

Errol Francis, who has been a 2H driver for over three decades, points to a line on a 2023 to 2025 laminated permit issued by the Transport Board/Licensing Authority, which authorises commuter transport only on the 2H Castries/Vieux Fort route. It states that the authorities may revoke or suspend the permit if the vehicle’s owner or driver breaches traffic laws and/or regulations.

“The ministry is saying they’re trying to put a disciplinary committee in place [but] up to this day, that hasn’t happened, and I’m saying you don’t need that because of the Traffic Act,” said Francis. “…We don’t know what to do. It’s like we are paying for a permit to operate, [but] you are not relaxed, you are not happy, you cannot be efficient and as effective as you should be, you aren’t at peace in your work environment.”

The drivers say it has been about four years since the Transport Ministry first expressed interest in implementing a disciplinary committee, but progress on this has also stalled.

Transport Minister Stephenson King also acknowledged the situation at a recent pre-cabinet press briefing.

“On some routes, there are individuals who have just broken off from the system, violated the system and are picking up people anywhere,” King told reporters.

His comments came amid discussion of planned steps to “modernise” the transport sector, including the possible implementation of a three-tier system involving both private and publicly run transportation services.

Bus drivers also say there are wider concerns to be addressed, including modernisation and changes that could make transport more accessible and convenient for passengers – issues they note have been part of the national discourse for years. They also share their desire to see infrastructure upgrades, including laybys, a better-maintained bus terminal in Vieux Fort and road rehabilitation in smaller communities in the south. However, their tone shifts when discussing immediate challenges, such as piracy, noting that leaving them unresolved leaves little hope for greater change.

In a subsequent article in the Inside Transport series, transport modernisation will be examined in greater detail, along with policy amendments and infrastructural upgrades that remain under discussion.

The article Bus drivers warn of rising piracy, weak enforcement on key route is from St. Lucia Times.