IT is highly unlikely that you will meet another public passenger vehicle operator who is able to manoeuvre the Dunbarton to Discovery Bay route in northwest St Ann like Alando ‘Trasha’ Jones.

“Hey Miss Observer, is long time we want di media come. Di condition weh we a operate under bad and we want dem fix di road – NWA (National Works Agency) and NWC (National Water Commission),” Trasha shouts upon sighting the Jamaica Observer’s North and East news team.

The news team laughs because his complaint came with a sheepish grin. It was obvious from even this early stage of meeting

“Me nuh fraid fi talk because dem done seh mi chat nuff. Yuh need fi highlight di conditions. When we drive pon da road deh we a mash up we vehicle. Yuh tink a lie? Come mek mi show unuh.”

What started out as a mere complaint quickly turned into a comical but newsy ride to ascertain exactly what was behind his as well as his colleagues’ complaints.

Trasha opens the back door on the right-hand side of his black Toyota Corolla station wagon and invites us inside. Without hesitating, we go in.

“Keep mi space inna di line; mi soon come,” he shouts to his colleagues who are all parked one behind the other at the taxi stand in Brown’s Town, close to the famed “school on the hill”, St Hilda’s High.

To our surprise, Trasha knows the exact longitudinal and latitudinal positions of each pothole and the precise time they will appear during our ride, which was an exercise in courage in itself.

“You know how much man lick off dem front end, buss dem tyre right here suh? A lot of people. Because most a dem nuh know di road.

“Some a dem all a run in a car back because when a man come and see it seh u deh back a him, him just brake up; suh boo doom doom doom all three car end up lick up. Because a bare marl in deh, suh as rain fall dat wash out.”

“Is da man deh weh mi show you a while ago patch dem himself,” Trasha continued.

“But the road isn’t that bad, Trasha. It’s smooth, except for the potholes,” this writer pointed out.

“Potholes dat can cause accident. A nuh everybody know di road dawta, Miss lovely Observer.”

“All di hole dem weh me show you is about eight inches deep. And mi a talk ’bout these holes, these holes are 20 years worth a hole. Suh dem patch it, it repeat. Dem one yah, people love swing from. Every time dem patch it, rain wash it out.”

“So you’re saying it wasn’t done properly?”

“The last time when election wah de gone, inna November, dem send man wid pickaxe fi come dig out di hole, but election ‘put off’ suh dem figet it. Right through December come up, nobody nuh look pon di hole. We guh right through Christmas wid di bad road. Election call in a January. Call di Sunday, di next Friday, Saturday; dem send man fi come fix the whole road, but then rain fall the following week and dig up back everything, so we back to square one.

“See one next dangerous road yah, dangerous. Man haffi pack rock stone inna it di way it dangerous,” Trasha added.

“But Trasha don’t you think that if you guys drove slower, you wouldn’t have to swerve and cause any accidents?”

“No man! A nuh we a di problem enuh, is di person dem who come and nuh know di hole is there. Is dem is di problem. You nuh see di road buss in a two?”

“OK, we’ve seen enough.”

“And mi nuh show you half of it yet?”

“It’s OK, I offer not wanting to experience more of this rather rocky ride.”

“Please mek sure it come in di paper we need di road fi fix.”

Back at the taxi stand, in one piece, Trasha said his farewell to the Observer team.

“Lata Observer.”

It was indeed a ride to remember – one filled with potholes, one filled with a lot of holding on and one filled with great anxiety. But, for us, it was a cogent reminder of what these often maligned drivers have to face in order to earn a dollar and even moreso what passengers have to undergo in order to get to their various destinations.

Thank you, Trasha, and watch the ride!