Moves to cut road carnage

PANAMA. The government has decided to invest $225,000 to buy global positioning systems (GPS) for buses. as it struggles to reform the transport system that continues to claim lives of passengers and pedestrians

With this measure, it is intended to monitor the speed and routes of 1,500 city buses through a specialized center at the Transit Authority.

Each GPS costs about $150 and will be installed on the buses as soon as possible according to the Presidency Minister, Jimmy Papadimitriu.

Leaders from the transport sector met with government officials and Cabinet ministers led by Papadimitriu, to discuss the new program.

Papadimitriu said the government will pay for the GPS and that the maintenance of about $1 each day, will be covered by the bus drivers.

Present at the meeting, reflecting the government’s concernover the public outcry were:

Vice president Juan Carlos Varela, the transit Authority director Sandra Escorcia, the Metro secretary Roberto Roy, the government innovation secretary Temistocles Arjona Arosemana, Public works Minister Federico Suarez, Finance, Minister Alberto Vallarino and Justice Minister Jose Raul Mulino.

Papadimitriu said the public tender for the purchase and installation of the GPS will be announced soon, however talks will continue with other sectors of the transport industry,

Dionel Broce from the Pedregal bus station and Dionisio Ortega, president ofCANATRA (the National Transport Chamber).

National outrage prompted the government to regulate the transport service after bus related accidents have killed more than 30 people this year.

Desperate to find solutions, the new government announced a 30 day period for buses to install speed limiters.

Technical issues and product availability have moved that idea to the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Roberto Roy, the metro executive secretary has announced that forty eight proposals from international companies have been received for the first phase of the Metro project.

According to Roy, the Interamerican Development bank received the proposals from companies that hope to become consultants to the Panamanian government on the conceptual design, public tenders and management for the metro system.

Roy was expecting only 15 companies to make proposals.

“ Panama will benefit if more companies participate because the choices are broader” he said.

The secretariat will choose the six top companies

proposals and after a period of 30 days will evaluate them with visits and interviews.

The winner will be chosen in October.