Privatizing the Transport Board is a Direct Attack on the Poor and Working Class of Barbados

Bridgetown, Barbados, November 19th, 2025 —
Dale Rowe, the Democratic Labour Party’s Candidate for the City of Bridgetown and Spokesperson on Poverty Alleviation, stands firmly against the Mia Mottley BLP government and Transport Minister Santia Bradshaw’s plan to privatize the Transport Board—an act that represents control of a monopoly rather than a commitment to serving the people of Barbados.

At a time when the cost of living is already unbearable—when rent is rising, food prices are climbing, and too many Barbadians are barely making ends meet—the decision to privatize public transportation is nothing short of cruel.

This move will push our people deeper into hardship and uncertainty.

Let us ask the real questions:
How is a single mother with three children, surviving on minimum wage, expected to afford higher bus fares?
How will our pensioners—whose pensions scarcely cover their rent—manage to travel to the doctor, to buy groceries, or to participate in community life?

Privatization will not make life better for the average Barbadian
It will raise bus fares, increase the cost of moving around the island, and place yet another financial burden on households already under pressure. This is heartbreaking. It is unacceptable.

This is a betrayal of the very people government is meant to protect.

Let us not forget the hundreds of Transport Board workers—the drivers, mechanics, inspectors, and support staff—who have families, mortgages, car loans, and personal obligations. What happens to them?
These hardworking men and women stand to be destabilized by a decision they did not make and do not deserve.

What we are witnessing is yet another move that widens the gap between the wealthy and the poor. Once again, the rich stand to benefit while ordinary Barbadians are left to struggle. This is not development. This is not progress.

This is a disservice to our people.

I am calling on the people of Barbados to stand together. This is not the time to be silent. This is the moment to defend our rights, our dignity, and our future.

Privatizing the Transport Board will hurt our people. It will deepen poverty. It will make daily life harder. And we must not allow it.

I urge all Barbadians: Stand up. Speak out. Let your voices be heard. Let us protect what belongs to us and defend the right of every citizen to affordable, reliable public transportation.

SELLING OUT BARBADOS
Mia Mottley and the Barbados Labour Party continue to sell out the interests of ordinary Barbadians. We must fight back—not with anger, but with unity, courage, and unwavering conviction.

Together, we can stop this. Together, we can protect our people. Together, we can save our Barbados.

The Democratic Labour Party, under the steady leadership of The Hon. Ralph Thorne, stand ready to lead and to rescue Barbados.