School children, nurses, teachers and pensioners will travel free for one month starting tomorrow on the water taxis plying the Berbice River, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said.
Speaking at a public event in Berbice on Friday, Nagamootoo said other commuters will be charged a small fee.
“They will be crossing the Berbice River free on water taxis provided by this government,” the prime minister said referring to the special categories of commuters. “We are going to provide this service initially for one month so that we bring relief to the many poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged people in our community.”
According to Nagamootoo, this is being done to “reinforce our message to the Berbice Bridge Company that the present fare is unconscionable and un-payable and that they must reduce and we will not give up until the fares are reduced.”
To this effect, Nagamootoo said, the government is “counting on the support of the Berbice Chamber of Commerce, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and the Private Sector Commission to understand that there is a public policy regarding the reduction of these fares.”
The decision to introduce two water taxis to transport commuters across the Berbice River came in the wake of a stalemate reached between the government and the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) over talks to reduce the present tolls charged by the latter to cross the bridge.
The APNU+AFC Coalition in its 100-days plan during the elections campaign earlier this year had promised a reduction in the bridge tolls were it to assume office.
Seeking to fulfil its promise upon gaining office, the coalition government devised a plan which saw it announcing in the national budget early August that it had approved a $300 drop in tolls for cars and buses crossing the facility.
This would take the toll from $2200 to $1900, while the tolls for all other categories of vehicles would be reduced by 10 per cent. Unfortunately, this is yet to be implemented as it has been met with rejection by the bridge company.
Though the government wants to push forward with the reduction of tolls via the provision of a subvention to the bridge company, the company is contending that a reduction in the current fare structure could plunge it into bankruptcy.
The directors of the BBCI have repeatedly pointed out it has lost some $1.5 billion cumulatively since the bridge was opened and faces larger losses now that principal on the first tranche of bonds have become due.
Consequently, the company is calling on government to honour the toll formula which stipulates that fares be increased periodically so the bridge company could meet its financial obligations.
