Members of the  Road Traffic Board  greeted a packed room inside of the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium yesterday where Bahamians were waiting patiently in moving one step closer to owning their own business. 

The Department hosted their quarterly public sitting accommodating about 132 applicants, many of which expressed interest in owning car rental companies.

Deputy Chairman of the Road Traffic Authority Brandace Duncanson said: “During this public sitting, we’ve basically been focusing on addressing new applications. Through this process, we’re hoping to stimulate the economy by empowering Bahamians to be entrepreneurs and get into the business. 

She added, “Also, what we try to do is have an idea of how many existing plates are out there that are inactive and recall those plates, then reissue those to persons that would put them to use. Persons have a 90 day period in which they must have their car on the island licensed, registered, and active. If not, we would recall the plates that were unused.  ” 

A few applicants share with our news team their plans for their businesses. 

Troy McNeil said that he intends to name his business after his mother that died some two years ago. 

Allen McDonald said that he decided to open his business “to serve people that are having problems with their vehicles.” 

Accountant Antonja Bain said that her interview went well yesterday.

The Freeport native expressed that she wanted to accommodate the needs of those in Grand Bahama. 

She said, “Freeport people really don’t  like to rent the Japanese vehicles. So, I’m doing 5 US [cars], and I’m waiting on four more.”

She added, “I noticed that it’s a very lucrative industry. I noticed that they don’t really advertise it’s really just word of mouth and based on trust. So, I figured that I’ll tap into that market, and it’s not really that much overhead that they have to deal with as it relates to the expenses for the company.” 

The board consisting of seven members will later meet to discuss among themselves to make a final decision.

Applicants will then receive letter which indicate whether they have been approved or denied.