This week we asked the man/woman in the street what they had to say about the police campaign to remove offensive slogans and names from mini-buses.
Cylus Gibson, Private Sector Employee:
‘I think the Police Force has made the right decision to have the slogans wiped off the buses because they’re very offensive to school children and older citizens. I recall seeing these slogans and signs on minibuses about five to six years ago and I’m not sure how exactly they surfaced. There are some minibus operators who don’t have vulgar slogans and I think they put these markings on the bus to make them look interesting. I’ve seen on international news that larger buses in Haiti are following the same trend. Some people like the slogans while some don’t. I guess it all depends on who you are and what you appreciate.’
Pam Hinds, Vendor:
‘What about the buses owned by policemen? I’ve seen it happen time and time again, they bring out some new regulation and most buses follow them but those minibuses owned by policemen are always overlooked. To be honest I’ve never really paid much attention to the slogans on minibuses but I think that once the writings or pictures aren’t obscene then they shouldn’t be removed.’
Percival Fowler, Private Sector Employee:
‘Minibus operators use these slogans to advertise their transportation. I dislike some of these slogans because they have no meaning and some are just plain offensive. I think that many of the slogans we would see on these buses are put there to attract school children. Most of the fancy looking buses with the offensive slogans are the ones that specialize in transporting school children. I think that these slogans shouldn’t be allowed on the buses and they should remain as they are described on their registration.’
Tinesha Hamer, Student:
‘The buses that work the route I travel along don’t really have slogans but I am well aware of buses of that do have then. I find some of the comments and pictures very degrading to females and as a young woman don’t appreciate seeing such things in public. Some bus operators take slogans too far but they do it as an attraction for school children. In addition, the names on the buses windscreens are put there so that passengers can easily identify a particular bus. I don’t think they should ban the slogans but monitor what the minibus owners are allowed to put on their vehicles.’
Rawle Primo, Self-employed:
‘I have a problem with some of the writings on the minibuses and I think they should be wiped off. Many of these slogans are offensive and sadly this is minibus operators’ unique way of attracting passengers. Slogans on minibuses had sort of become a culture here in Guyana and it makes the public transportation something special to see here. However, because of those who insist on displaying offensive slogans the culture will have to be killed.’
Aubrey Schroder, Minibus Driver:
‘I don’t see why anyone should have a problem with the writings on the minibuses because they have nothing whatsoever to do with road safety. I think that if you have a bus then you would want to have it look nice so that people will travel with it. People tend to travel with buses that look good especially Georgetown people cause they are shine eyed. Besides these signs are expensive to put on and it will cost the bus owners a lot to get rid of them.’
A. Khan, Minibus Operator:
‘I’ve already removed most of the signs from my minibus but the name which is the one on the windscreen remains. That piece of graphic blocks the sun from the dashboard and keeps most of the sun from my face when I’m driving. The signs fascinate school children and I think that owners should be allowed to decorate their vehicles as they want. Besides, these signs are expensive.’
Kenesha Hyles, student:
‘Those slogans on the minibuses should most definitely be removed. Many of them are degrading to women and the majority of buses have a range of disrespectful comments printed on them. However, I must admit that there are those buses that support good messages like no smoking and no littering but seldom do we find those. Because of the few buses that promote good messages I think the punishment of completely removing slogans is too harsh. Rather the police should have a sort of screening process where minibus owners apply to print slogans on their buses.’
Yonette Miller, Self-employed:
‘I’ve seen many graphics on minibuses that offend me and I think they should be removed after all when they bought the vehicle it didn’t come with those markings. I’m glad something is being done about these slogans because they were getting out of hand.’
Omah Jhagdeo, Self-employed:
‘The slogans aren’t really a bad thing, it allows minibus operators to personalize their vehicles. However, I think removing the slogans would bring some order to the minibus system. It’s just like what they were trying to do with the hire cars, have them all sprayed yellow. (Pictures by Jules Gibson)
