Dear Editor,

With the completion of the Berbice River Bridge, it was felt that the long waiting period to cross the river using the ferry was finally over. However, this is not the case. Passengers wishing to cross the bridge using the public transportation system have had a rude awakening. Persons travelling on their way to work, high school, the university or for business reasons have had to encounter excruciating delays in crossing the bridge. This is due primarily to the fact that the mini-bus operators have to fill their buses to the maximum, and in doing this they tend to drive around in circles for up to an hour at a time before they will go across the bridge.

By doing this, they severely inconvenience and delay persons who have business to conduct on the other side of the river. Added to that, the fares that persons pay using the mini-buses and hire cars to cross the bridge are ridiculously high, and a lot of the working class (public servants in particular) cannot afford them.

The following recommendations should be implemented to curb the lawlessness in  the public transportation system.

1.    Create a new system where particular buses will be used only for taking persons across the bridge and back. These buses should be paying a bridge toll of less than the $2,200 that is being charged at present, and thus passengers could pay a far cheaper fare.

2.    If recommendation number one is unrealisitic, then a ‘turn’ system should be implemented, so that one bus is filled first, then the second one, and so on (this is how the parks operate in Georgetown). It would be on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, and bus parks should be created at both ends of the bridge so the system could work effectively This would eliminate the current situation whereby there would be, for example, 4 buses driving around in circles with 3, 7, 2, and 5 passengers in each.

3.    Get rid of the touts that are being used to fill these buses. They are irritating and tend to physically and verbally harass passengers who refuse to travel with a specific bus that they want the passengers to enter. It is an offence to have these touts loitering and filling mini-buses. The police should up their campaign in arresting and prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law.

It is hoped that the relevant authorities take the necessary corrective action in improving the transportation system which is at present time consuming, unreliable and very expensive.

Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)