Dear Editor,
Since the increase in fares was instituted without the government’s approval last year, the bus drivers and conductors on the Route 32 buses have been charging 187.5% of the original fares during the peak period in the evenings.
The original fare from Georgetown to Leonora/Uitvlugt was $160; with the increase they started charging $200. People paid it without a fuss, although most of the routes would have increased by $20 and not $40. As if this was not enough, they suddenly started charging $300 during the peak hours in the afternoons. Our trials and tribulations do not end here; they charge $300 and would then put four persons in a seat, and if you’re not careful there may be five persons in the seat. Just to give an example, there is a silver grey bus on the route that actually put three passengers out at Versailles because they refused to shift down to allow the fifth person in the seat. This starts from as early as 16:30 hours.
On May 22, I was in the park at around 17:30 hours; there were almost 10 buses in the park but they were all, with the exception of one, demanding $300.
This is a cry for help from the West Coast Demerara travelling public for something to be done to stop this nonsense. My thoughts may not be worth much, but I will share them anyway. Maybe in the short term, if the government provides some form of transportation charging the legitimate rates during these hours, the minibus conductors and drivers would realise that the travelling public is not at their mercy. In the longer term, government needs to give serious thought to reintroducing some form of public transportation system controlled by the state.
Think of the persons who make $1200 per day and have to pay more than half of that in transportation on a daily basis.
How are they expected to pay rent, electricity bills and water bills and still be able to provide food and send their children to school?
Yours faithfully,
D Persaud
