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A great piece written by Alex Wayne in the Monday February 4, 2013 edition of the Guyana Chronicle captioned: ‘Touts continue to menace passengers at bus parks: – passengers express resentment at harassment.’ Harassment escalated to the point where persons are even afraid to venture near some of these parks in the city after actually being ‘roughed up’ by touts.
At the Sophia bus park, ‘things’ were even worse as both adults and schoolchildren were subjected to the same raucous and crude treatment from the touts who are unapologetic in their unrelenting and annoying demands. Government ought to think first of school- children.
Passengers who refused to be bullied were awarded a violent ‘cuss out’ from the touts who mouthed horrible obscenities during the process.
Interacting with several passengers and onlookers regarding this issue, it was realised that it is a case where passengers are at the mercy of the touts since the relevant authorities do not appear to be doing enough to deal with the issue of passenger harassment by touts. The sporadic, small-scale crackdowns by the police have proven to be an inadequate response. The relevant authorities are there to make a buck or two for themselves, meaning the police.
Those were only some of the minor parts with the real deal to follow.
Some go as far as throwing their arms over passengers’ shoulders which may not be appreciated by many.
I saw a woman hit one of those stenchy touts for putting his arms around her to get her into a bus.
She hit him at the side of his head which caused him to fall to the ground.
I thought he must have hit his head on the road and died because he never moved for a few minutes.
Some of the tout’s friends started to swarm in on the lady but luckily for her they backed off when they saw a police officer approaching, who told them the tout was wrong to the woman because he saw what the tout did to her.
I wonder what would that woman would have had to endure had that tout died from hitting his head on the road.
Could anyone imagine she would have been charged with murder and locked up awaiting trial and for what? For being in the right!
As a commuter who uses public transportation regularly, Mahaicony resident Sheldon Byass is very disgusted by the constant harassment of passengers by the ‘touts’.
He was very outspoken in ridiculing their conduct and highlighted concerns regarding the opportunities for robberies which their behaviour promotes.
I can tell anyone in authority, some of these men are not touts but are thieves who operate hand in hand with touts to rob unsuspecting citizens.
Just like those thieves who operate hand in hand with some vendors.
They would steal your wallets, purses and jewellery and pass it on to those vendors in the blink of an eye.
I often said that if any government cannot provide transportation for its citizens, then there is really no government and law and order is bound to break down.
Same thing goes on at our airport where taxi drivers will harass visitors to death to take their taxis.
One taxi driver was even willing to let me use his cell phone to call my pick-up since my pick-up was late in coming to pick me up.
That would have been a deadly mistake for me to use his phone to call a loved one who was supposed to pick me up.
The others backed off when I said no to them about two or three times but this one taxi guy would not just take no for an answer until I got real serious with him and told him to back off now.
My nephew was robbed of his wallet, money ID card plus his cell phone while trying to catch a Campbellville bus at the bus park.
Serious law enforcement could prevent all this hassle from happening at the bus parks and the airport.
All buses and taxis must be lined up one after the other, fill up the first bus or take the first taxi and go. Second in line will move up to be filled and continue like that at all times.
If any or some passengers want to travel with a certain bus or certain taxi then they go to that bus or tax and wait their turn.
That bus should not move until the first bus or first taxi is occupied and next in order until it gets to that certain bus or certain taxi passengers want to travel in.
If I wanted to travel in a bus or taxi fifth in line then I must wait until those first four buses or taxis are occupied and not move until their turn arrives.
I am talking of our airport and bus parks. If taxis are lining up side by side then I get to choose the taxi I like and off I go immediately.
If this solution is implemented there will be decency amongst all which many citizens would feel free to travel unmolested.
It is not impossible for our government to step up to the plate and listen to the cries of its citizens.
At the Sophia bus park, ‘things’ were even worse as both adults and schoolchildren were subjected to the same raucous and crude treatment from the touts who are unapologetic in their unrelenting and annoying demands. Government ought to think first of school- children.
Passengers who refused to be bullied were awarded a violent ‘cuss out’ from the touts who mouthed horrible obscenities during the process.
Interacting with several passengers and onlookers regarding this issue, it was realised that it is a case where passengers are at the mercy of the touts since the relevant authorities do not appear to be doing enough to deal with the issue of passenger harassment by touts. The sporadic, small-scale crackdowns by the police have proven to be an inadequate response. The relevant authorities are there to make a buck or two for themselves, meaning the police.
Those were only some of the minor parts with the real deal to follow.
Some go as far as throwing their arms over passengers’ shoulders which may not be appreciated by many.
I saw a woman hit one of those stenchy touts for putting his arms around her to get her into a bus.
She hit him at the side of his head which caused him to fall to the ground.
I thought he must have hit his head on the road and died because he never moved for a few minutes.
Some of the tout’s friends started to swarm in on the lady but luckily for her they backed off when they saw a police officer approaching, who told them the tout was wrong to the woman because he saw what the tout did to her.
I wonder what would that woman would have had to endure had that tout died from hitting his head on the road.
Could anyone imagine she would have been charged with murder and locked up awaiting trial and for what? For being in the right!
As a commuter who uses public transportation regularly, Mahaicony resident Sheldon Byass is very disgusted by the constant harassment of passengers by the ‘touts’.
He was very outspoken in ridiculing their conduct and highlighted concerns regarding the opportunities for robberies which their behaviour promotes.
I can tell anyone in authority, some of these men are not touts but are thieves who operate hand in hand with touts to rob unsuspecting citizens.
Just like those thieves who operate hand in hand with some vendors.
They would steal your wallets, purses and jewellery and pass it on to those vendors in the blink of an eye.
I often said that if any government cannot provide transportation for its citizens, then there is really no government and law and order is bound to break down.
Same thing goes on at our airport where taxi drivers will harass visitors to death to take their taxis.
One taxi driver was even willing to let me use his cell phone to call my pick-up since my pick-up was late in coming to pick me up.
That would have been a deadly mistake for me to use his phone to call a loved one who was supposed to pick me up.
The others backed off when I said no to them about two or three times but this one taxi guy would not just take no for an answer until I got real serious with him and told him to back off now.
My nephew was robbed of his wallet, money ID card plus his cell phone while trying to catch a Campbellville bus at the bus park.
Serious law enforcement could prevent all this hassle from happening at the bus parks and the airport.
All buses and taxis must be lined up one after the other, fill up the first bus or take the first taxi and go. Second in line will move up to be filled and continue like that at all times.
If any or some passengers want to travel with a certain bus or certain taxi then they go to that bus or tax and wait their turn.
That bus should not move until the first bus or first taxi is occupied and next in order until it gets to that certain bus or certain taxi passengers want to travel in.
If I wanted to travel in a bus or taxi fifth in line then I must wait until those first four buses or taxis are occupied and not move until their turn arrives.
I am talking of our airport and bus parks. If taxis are lining up side by side then I get to choose the taxi I like and off I go immediately.
If this solution is implemented there will be decency amongst all which many citizens would feel free to travel unmolested.
It is not impossible for our government to step up to the plate and listen to the cries of its citizens.
