Tina Amanda
Poor database design for commercial vehicle operators has been identified as a major problem confronting the transportation system in Rivers State.
In an interview with our correspondent Tina Amanda, State Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Comrade Monday Eleazar, pointed out that sanity would only return to the state transport system if all commercial drivers are duly registered and licenced to operate.
According to him, the State Union is working on modalities that will transform the system for the safety of commuters.
“The system has a lot of challenges in the sense that we hardly know commercial drivers operating in the state, some of the drivers are just operating by the roadside, picking passengers which is not ideal and safe enough for the state transport system.
“To bring sanity into the system, I have decided to build a database for members of the union, every driver will be duly registered. We will have all drivers’ data, where they operate, their state of origin and next of kin. With this, we can easily control commercial drivers operating in the state”
He, however, noted that the harsh economy is also a contributing factor to commercial vehicle operators not to meet up all the necessary requirements of putting their vehicles up to date.
“The economic situation in the country is alarming, and it is causing drivers not to meet up to keep their vehicle requirements up to date. It is such that the cost of vehicle purchase is very expensive, even the spare parts are also expensive and sometimes you do not get to see the original parts in the market.
“All these put together is responsible for most commercial drivers defaulting. When a driver can hardly meet up his needs at home, make his daily returns to the owner of the vehicle, the situation is quite worrisome because transport system is no longer what it used to be back then in the eighties and nineties”
Comrade Eleazar further advised commercial drivers to be Safety conscious at all times.
“Drivers should ensure they make safety their priority, they do not need to check the time they will arrive in a place, but be conscious of how to arrive there safely. They should avoid conduct that will make the public see them as second class citizens”
