Madang needs to establish board to control transport

The Madang administration needs to establish a board to control public transport.
People have raised concerns over the high number of PMV buses hired by election candidates since the issue of writs last week, causing many people to be stranded or unable to find buses.
Yesterday, many PMVs were hired by Pangu Party candidate Bryan Krammer to carry his supporters during his nomination while many people struggled to catch a ride into town.
Ward eight councillor for Madang Urban local level government Samson Gaan said the Madang administration did not have a board in place to control such situations.
“The provincial administration needs to establish a PMV board to address all these issues,” Gaan said.
Gaan said there was no control over the number of passengers loaded on vehicles when they carried election campaigners.
“You can see them sitting on car roof-tops and hanging on the sides and back of trucks which is very dangerous,” he said. Police were seen escorting candidates to the nomination office but could do nothing to control those people hanging on the sides of vehicles.
Assistant transport officer at the Madang administration Michael Sabou confirmed there was no transport board in place.
Sabou said the transport office at the Madang provincial administration had no control over PMV owners’ decisions to be involved in politics and the right authority to control those issues was the public transport board.
“The transport office will only manage affairs of issuing licences and impounding defective vehicles to charge their owners,” he said.