Bus, taxi association unhappy with transport deal

 THE Public Motor Vehicle Association could have provided the best transport and logistics service to the 2015 Pacific Games if had been awarded the contract, general secretary John Rex Makao said yesterday.

Makao said association executives met with the Pacific Games Organising Committee at an end of year meeting where he told them  they had the fleet and logistics to meet all Games requirements.,

He said he proposed the association provide 300 vehicles to be used during the Pacific Games from July 4-7.

He said he told the committee the association would be able to provide 100 buses and 150 cars as they had more than 800 licenced buses and more than 1000 licenced cars.

“These buses and cars are registered with the Motor Vehicle Insurance Limited circulating in Port Moresby alone,” he said. 

Makao said Pacific Games Organising Committee chief executive officer Peter Steward told him during the meeting there was no funding allocated for the transportation and logistics aspects of the Games.

“Since the GOC doesn’t have funds allocated for the transportation and logistics as discussed in the meeting, I wonder how the contract was awarded to Pindu Transport and Logistics Services Limited as reported on The National newspaper,” he said.

“Now, I strongly declare that Pindu is an innocent company just like any other PNG company that could win the contact but the fault is with the Games Organising Committee.

“The is nothing wrong in Pindu being awarded the contact; the GOC must come out clear and reveal what is going on with hem,” he said.

He is urging all the PMV and taxi owners not to entertain contractors who ask them to help supply vehicles for Games at a cheap rate.

“I am not stopping anyone of you who want to join Pindu who is willing to hire buses and cars to be used during the Games. 

“I’m just reminding my PMV and taxi operators that the amount at which the vehicles will be hired could be less compared to the amount that the bus owners will make in a day during the two weeks  of the Games because there will be many people flooding in to watch the Games.

“We are all sure that the Games will continue until late night so I am willing to raise the concerns of running PMVs at night.

“What will be  the bus fare costing on behalf of my PMV operators is what the relevant authorities,” he said.