The assault of a female minibus driver by a male colleague, whose only concern appeared to be bending the rules so that he could earn an extra dollar and do it while putting lives at risk, should raise the ire of every one of us. According to reports, Ms Tuschelle Miller, who drives a Route 45 minibus was punched in the face by a male driver because she refused to allow him to get in line ahead of her.
The sheer aggression in this man’s approach (what would be known colloquially as ‘wrong and strong’) is reflective of the culture of ignorance that appears to surround the operation of minibuses for the most part. What one hears regularly is that minibus drivers are a ‘special breed.’ The majority of the operators of what has become Guyana’s public transportation system have worked very hard to give the industry a bad name.
Many of them, on a daily basis, break umpteen traffic laws, seemingly with impunity. They speed, run red lights, drink and drive, drive defective vehicles, overtake illegally, stop in no-stopping zones, cut off other drivers, overload their buses, play their music loudly, drive without the relevant legal documentation; the list goes on. Most of these irregularities can and do cause accidents. Frequently, there is loss of life as a result.
Every so often, the Police Traffic Department runs a campaign that seeks to address one or more of the illegalities listed above and during that period, there is a marked improvement in the behavioural patterns of these delinquent drivers. But as soon as the campaign ends, it’s back to square one with some drivers acting worse than before as though they need to make up for lost time.
The inability of the Police Traffic Department to break this uncouth road culture stems from three things. The first is that there was a lack of regulation from the inception. From the time minibuses began to be imported for use as public transportation vehicles, there ought to have been clear regulatory procedures as regards their operation. A huge opportunity to streamline an industry that the majority of the population depends on, was missed. The second is that too many traffic officers have allowed themselves to be swayed by the lure of fast, ready cash from defaulting drivers and have looked the other way for far too long. Any chance of bringing the law to bear in a definitive way that takes care of the problem and ensures it doesn’t recur has also been long lost, hence the constant campaigns. The third is that a surprising number of minibuses are owned by police officers. And this sentence needs no amplification.
Some citizens who have no choice but to use minibuses on a daily basis are aware that their lives are constantly being put at risk, but few dare complain for fear that they suffer the same fate as Ms Miller. Or that they succumb to cardiac arrest like Mr Basdeo Mangra of Vryheid’s Lust who died following a row with a minibus conductor over loud music being played in the bus.
The advent of women like Ms Miller along with a few decent men in the minibus industry is welcome and hints at signs of change. However, those who have grown accustomed to riding roughshod over everyone else in their pursuit of a few (thousand) dollars more; those whose greed overrides common decency will not take too kindly to decent law-abiding male minibus drivers or to the female drivers who stand up to them.
The male and female bus drivers who protested in solidarity with Ms Miller on Tuesday have said that constant abuse, both verbal and physical, is meted out to female minibus drivers by their male counterparts. President of the United Minibus Union Eon Andrews acknowledged that he had received reports of female drivers being abused by male drivers, but did not say what, if anything, he had done about it as president of the union. One suspects the answer is nothing.
Ms Miller deserves kudos for standing her ground. She is a fine example to women everywhere and particularly those who might be thinking of joining the industry but are wary of its male dominance. It is unfortunate that she was abused and attacked and worse still that no one went to her rescue. One hopes that the police make an arrest soon and that this bully is brought to justice.
