Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:53 AM
Dec 11, 2013 News
Passengers using the route 32 (Georgetown to Parika ) and 44 (Georgetown to Mahaica) minibuses are complaining over the high fares that they are being forced to pay to reach their destinations which according to them are intensified significantly after working hours.
As it pertains to the route 32, many passengers complain that once the minibus operators recognize that the bus parks are crowded, they double their fares, resulting in commuters paying $200 for short drops and as much as $600 for longer journeys.
Apart from the arbitrary fare hikes that the minibus operators inflict on passengers, the minibus operators are being accused of being ‘selective’ in who they transport, discriminating against persons going
shorter distances.
“They pick up passengers based on whether they are going short or long distances (short being from Georgetown to Vreed-En-Hoop, with long being Georgetown to Parika),” one passenger lamented.
Another passenger who traverses daily from Georgetown to Zeeburg on the West Coast of Demerara highlighted that many nights he would wait hours on the park for a bus only to be told that he would have to pay the Parika fare since that was the vehicle’s final destination.
Other passengers complained about experiencing the reverse of that situation in that some buses would only carry short distance passengers.
Many persons expressed that this ‘exploitation’ is possible because of the non availability of public transportation, “so these private minibus operators can hold the commuters to ransom because they know that we don’t have a choice,” said one distraught passenger.
Another commuter said that transportation during the day is no problem because there are sufficient minibuses available to supply the travelling demands of consumers. However the problem arises after 18:00hrs when many minibus operators stop working.
An official from the Small Business Bureau of the Ministry of Tourism told Kaieteur News that he is aware of the arbitrary price increases that the route 32 minibus operators are imposing.
Against this backdrop, he divulged that a meeting was called yesterday with the United Minibus Association.
The official said he is also aware of the situation in which the route 44 bus operators are jacking up their fares during peak hours and after working hours even though no proposals were made by them for an increase in fares.
Commuters using that route complain that during the night and at rush hours, buses would increase their fares.
Meanwhile, the United Minibus Association and the Combined Road Transportation in a joint press release on the issue yesterday stated that “many concerns common to minibus operations were ventilated which included the contentious and burdensome fare imposition the route 32 commuters have to bear. We have therefore jointly agreed on a fare structure for the route 32 buses which will be displayed in the buses with passengers paying upon entry. Commuters are urged to board only buses that display the new fares which take immediate effect.”
The release further stated that the fare restructuring is only for the route 32 minibuses and that the other routes will be addressed shortly.
“Even though we can support our members increasing bus fares, the above organizations are committed as a unit in consultation with the Ministry (as a mark of respect) to arrive at a consensus, in good faith, that will benefit all stakeholders and the nation as a whole” the release stated.
However, the Ministry of Tourism official posited that the proposal made by the United Minibus Association for an increase in the fare structure was not approved by his Ministry.
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