There’s concern among local insurance companies about the number of accidents involving public transport vehicles, and not just the privately-owned PSVs but also the state owned buses.

President of the General Insurance Association of Barbados Randy Graham tells Starcom Network News that representatives of the insurance companies met recently with minibus and ZR owners who had complained about the difficulty and cost of getting insurance coverage.

Mr. Graham says while the operators were given the assurance that they have not been blacklisted, the number of accidents and the high insurance payouts from such crashes is a major worry for the sector.

The insurance companies told the minibus and route taxi operators of the need to do more to improve driving habits and reduce the number of accidents.

The insurers emphasized that the insurance cost is directly linked to the risk being insured.

But Mr. Graham tells Starcom Network News that the concerns also extended to the buses operated by the state-owned Transport Board.

Recently several people were injured when two of the board’s buses collided head-on and over the weekend videos circulated showing another of those buses having run some distance off the road and into thick bushes.

Mr. Graham says the risk of big payouts from Transport Board crashes worries insurers as well.

President of the General Insurance Association of Barbados Randy Graham.