The Editor, Sir:

I must congratulate all the persons responsible for having thought of building a transport centre for the Half-Way Tree area. This establishment has brought an immeasurable sense of pride to the commuters of the public transport system. You would never understand the relief it is to stand and wait for a bus without being harassed and shouted at by some indisciplined, uncouth, private operators (who by the way, still need to be brought under some control to ensure the viability of the public system).

We have heard by way of the electronic and print media that there are plans being made to build a similar facility downtown. This is a welcome idea. We dream of seeing downtown again being a place free of chaos and a place where persons can shop and walk about freely.

My concern, however, is that the plans seem to be proceeding without consultation with the main stakeholders, the users of the public transport system. Many of our projects in Jamaica fail because of the absence of genuine stakeholder consultations. We don't check all the facts before we begin our wonderful projects.

Have we checked if the centre is being placed in a location convenient to the customers? Have we found out if the location of the transport centre will attract the majority of the public passengers? There is a need to check whether the proposed downtown location is convenient for the customers or if it will leave the well-intentioned customers exposed to the hundreds of hustlers/robots who are always at your feet ready to take you wherever you desire at a discounted price. The temptation is always too great to resist. Why walk to a distant bus park when you can jump into a robot?

Sound business foundation

Despite the fact that the centre is being built by the Government, we must begin to design our projects on a sound business foundation. A businessman will never establish a business before investigating whether the customers will visit the location. If the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre was established without the necessary consultation, it is only benefiting from its location which is the centre of all activity in that area. Persons, therefore, find it convenient to use the facility.

We Jamaicans long for some order and discipline in our country. We do want our facilities to succeed. We are therefore, pleading for our government not to go 'full speed ahead' and then regret that we didn't check with the main beneficiaries.

I am, etc.,

EUGENIE STEWART

sheep_stew@yahoo.com