Alfred MARIE-JEANNE, President of MARTINIQUE TRANSPORT, informs passengers that, as part of the transitional reorganization of transportation in northern Martinique, the authority has decided to provide new vehicles to the transport cooperatives responsible for operations
To ensure the smooth operation of the routes:
To date, 11 large vehicles—55-seat buses—as well as 2 22-seat minibuses have been delivered.
These deliveries will be supplemented by the arrival of new 22-seat minibuses, which will be made available in the coming weeks.
This order for 26 vehicles represents an investment of nearly 4.25 M€ for MARTINIQUE TRANSPORT.
Improved service quality
These vehicles are equipped with all the amenities to ensure comfort for both passengers and drivers. They are air-conditioned, feature a highly reliable safety system, and offer balanced fuel economy that helps protect the environment.
Two of the 11 buses delivered are equipped with accommodations for a wheelchair user, including a lift.
Remarks by Alfred MARIE-JEANNE
Ladies and Gentlemen
On September 23, 2019, and January 30, 2020, I signed agreements on compensation and public service obligations with representatives of the cooperatives representing carriers in the Northern Caribbean and the North Atlantic.
These two significant developments stemmed from the desire of the Board of Directors of MARTINIQUE TRANSPORT to address the increasingly acute lack of public transportation service for this important part of our territory, even though organized transit networks were already in place in the CACEM and Espace Sud regions.
Consequently, on July 26, 2019, the board of directors of MARTINIQUE TRANSPORT approved the creation of these two provisional networks, initially setting a three-year deadline for establishing a comprehensive network.
This deadline was reduced to 18 months following a comment by the government, due to direct contractual arrangements with these cooperatives comprising independent shared-ride taxi operators and other transport providers. Far from it—the Board of Directors’ decision was not overturned; rather than condemning it, this new direction taken by certain volunteer taxi operators has allowed them to prepare for the competitive bidding process, which is the standard procedure in this area and will take place shortly.
In fact, this shortened timeline will simply speed up the process, which will lead to the establishment of a unified and comprehensive network throughout the CAP NORD region by July 2021. This will be one of the priorities for the first half of 2021.
Today, I am officially taking delivery of the first new vehicles purchased by MARTINIQUE TRANSPORT as part of the project approved by the Board of Directors.
A total of 26 vehicles have been ordered, representing a total investment of €4,249,666.53.
Currently, 11 vehicles, each with a capacity of 55 seats, are available for the Northern Caribbean and Northern Atlantic routes. Due to a delay in administrative procedures, the first five 22-seat minibuses scheduled for delivery this week will not be delivered until the coming days. The remaining vehicles will arrive in mid-January 2021.
For your information, the reorganization of transportation on the Centre network, approved by the Board of Directors on January 30, 2020, also includes the acquisition by MARTINIQUE TRANSPORT of 20 vehicles, each capable of carrying between 75 and 100 passengers, depending on their specifications. Their delivery, originally scheduled for late March 2021, has been delayed until May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to factory closures and slower production rates.
In any case, this investment of €7,463,305.15 will significantly improve mobility for the Center’s users; as this equipment will be added to that which has been or will be acquired by the contractors selected by MARTINIQUE TRANSPORT.
Today we are at the Transportation Technical Center, a modern facility that houses the Martinique Transportation Authority, established in January 2020.
This concession project was constructed on behalf of the delegating authority under the public service delegation contract. It is now complete and operational; the remaining task is to protect the facilities by constructing a retaining wall, which is to be carried out by MARTINIQUE TRANSPORT.
This project, costing approximately 25 M€, funded by public funds from CACEM and subsequently from MARTINIQUE TRANSPORT following the establishment of the single authority, serves as a hub not only for the maintenance of the agency’s vehicles but also for the control and supervision of the various lines on the Central network.
I would like to point out that the Martinique Transportation Authority was not established solely to operate in the Central Region. This internal operator of MARTINIQUE TRANSPORT has the authority to carry out its missions throughout the entire territory and, subject to the decision to be made by the Board of Directors, may play an important role in the organizational structure of the future Northern network.
Further steps will follow, such as the acquisition of an operational support tool, which will also be designed to provide passengers with better information.
Another issue will be fulfilling one of the organizing authority’s responsibilities regarding the establishment of transit stops throughout the entire territory.
We are firmly committed to a process of continuous improvement in the services we provide to the public, which is becoming increasingly demanding; however, this can only be achieved through the optimization and streamlining of expenditures.
To return to the purpose of our meeting today, the time has come to symbolically hand over the keys to the vehicles to the cooperatives involved.
Before we continue, if their representatives would like to, I invite them to share with us their feedback on these past few months of operation.
Thank you very much, thank you so much
