Dear Editor,
With reference to several letters in the press on the matter of the unscrupulous behaviour of minibus operators at peak hours, and as an operator myself, I am moved to offer the following:
1. Most of the letter writers seem to use a broad brush to paint an already bad picture and have forgotten to mention hard-working individuals in the transportation business also who probably won’t find the time to answer every letter writer.
2. In any issue, there is always the other side of the story. For example, I work the Mahaica-G/town route. On many occasions when I pull into the Mahaica Park at peak periods, passengers who are going to the lower East Coast (Buxton-Victoria) come to me and offer to pay the Mahaica fare ($200) to get home. Many times they get there before the bona fide Mahaica passengers and bully their way into the bus, because as one said, “I paying de fare jus like dem.” Then sometimes when they get to their destination, they push the short drop fare ($120) in your hand and walk away. What do you do then?
3. A similar thing happens at the Berbice Park at night (after 8pm). The Mahaica passengers would go across to that park and offer to pay the Mahaicony fare ($500) to get home to Mahaica, because the Mahaica buses would stop working by that time. These Berbice drivers are very helpful to them since they could wait for their regular long distance passengers instead of taking them on board. I mention this because I saw where it was said that $500 is demanded from them. It is not always so.
4. Operators face many difficulties in their daily grind; just to share a few: Passengers throw everything they do not want on your floor from phone cards to chicken bones. If you don’t do regular sanitation your vehicle becomes infested with ants, roaches and the like. You ask for the fare as you get close to the park and you get a ‘busing.’ What is the correct (legal) mode of payment in Guyana – pay when you enter or pay when you exit? They expect you to have music (even though they know it is illegal); they expect you to have a phone charger; they expect you to do their bidding for the same fare – stop and buy bread, etc, drop off or pick up a child, deliver mail and God only knows what else operators are asked to do. If you refuse, they mark you and don’t travel with you again (the other side of the coin).
5. Mention is made of the return of the big buses. It is left to be seen how successful these would be. I say this because I observed the behaviour of stranded passengers one night at the East Coast Park. A 35-seater big bus pulled in empty and only about 10 persons out of about 50 went into that bus. After waiting for about 15 minutes it left with the same 10 persons. All this time persons were still stranded. While he was there two minibuses came in and there was the regular uproar to get into them.
At this point I believe I’ve said a fair bit to highlight the other side. I wish to make it clear that I will never agree with the unscrupulous behaviour perpetrated by some.
On a separate note, I notice that a number of minibuses, especially around Georgetown, are spray painted with splashes similar to a camouflage design. I thought all designs were outlawed over two years ago. How is it that some certifying officers are issuing fitness for buses with these designs while some of their colleagues refuse to do so and sometimes even charge you if you have as much as a small emblem (blackberry or apple sign, or a bible) in a little corner of your vehicle?
And finally, we are not the worst drivers out there. Many of us behave badly I agree, and should be disciplined when caught, but a check of the police statistics for all accidents in any given year from 2010 will show you which category of vehicles are the worst. Most of us work long hours, more than some public servants, and for this reason we are very prominent in the eyes of the public. It is for this reason I take this opportunity to sincerely urge my fellow operators and, in fact, all drivers, to observe the rules of the road at all times for the safety of our people. And just so you know, I have been licensed to drive several classes of vehicles for over 27 years now. Because I follow the rules, I was only involved twice in minor mishaps during that time. You can do better.
Yours faithfully,
Gary Abbensetts
