GUYANA’s public transportation woes began with the scrapping of the railway by the PNC government and today we are severely reeling from that terrible mistake. This was followed by the introduction of a poorly managed and administered state-owned bus service, which obviously did not survive and then came the chaotic, unregulated and exploitative mini-bus service.

With a rapid increase in the volume of commuters across the country, the exploitation of commuters by mini-bus operators has increased. This is in addition to the chaotic, hazardous and congestive traffic situation.
However, one of the recurring and nagging problems that has been affecting commuters is the mini-bus fare structures, and of course the overloading of buses which has become an integral part of the mini-bus culture. As regards the latter, commuters are advised to stand their ground, but those who gave this advice seem to have forgotten the elderly commuter who lost his life earlier this year after he stood up for his rights, which resulted in a confrontation with a conductor. Those who gave this advice are clearly not aware of the verbal and sometimes physical assaults which commuters undergo daily when they stand up for their rights.
On the issue of fare structures, this has been a perpetual problem because there is not any definitive law(s) or regulations governing fare structures. And so Route 32 mini-bus operators have unilaterally and unjustifiably hiked their fares by as much as $40, in a calculatingly well-timed move, similar to that of a chess grandmaster as they know it is the festive season and commuters in their haste to do their business will pay up unhesitatingly. The alternative is the use of taxis which is unaffordable by most people who use mini-buses.
Acting Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr. Irfaan Ali, in an invited comment correctly declared that the fare increase is unjustified.
“There is no way the Route 32 drivers can, unilaterally, decide to increase fares,” he emphasised.
He said the ministry has a standing agreement with the Minibus Association, which states, clearly, that, in the absence of increases in fuel prices, there cannot be a rise in fares.
Ali said: “There has been no communication from anyone regarding any concerns that can justify the increases. There is no justification for this.
“The situation with fares has been continuously monitored and, to date, given that gas prices have remained under a certain price, there cannot be any increases in fares,” he added.
The minister’s pronouncement on the hike being unjustified is well known. The issue is that commuters are reeling under the unilaterally increased fares without getting any satisfaction or protection from anyone, especially workers and students who have to commute almost on a daily basis. The salaries some workers earn in some cases could hardly sustain their travelling expenses.
On the issue of a standing agreement with the Minibus Association, which states clearly that in the absence of increases in fuel prices, there cannot be a raise in fares it is true, but the big question is that this agreement is not legally binding. It is a morally binding one and everyone knows that most mini-bus operators are most unscrupulous and unprincipled and therefore they will never be expected to abide by such an agreement.
The minister has also indicated that an advisory will be issued after which the situation will be monitored and the police will be asked to enforce the approved fare structures. Here again the issue of legality arises, because under what law (s)/regulations can they charged and brought before the courts? In fact, commuters have told this newspaper that some of the minibus operators have told them that the police have advised them to print and display the new fare structures and that would be alright.
In any case, when the advisory is issued, inevitably the mini-bus operators will go on strike leaving hapless commuters stranded with no alternative.
This proposed action by the ministry would perhaps bring a temporary solution to the problem, but it has been and will continue to be a perpetual problem until and unless a comprehensive and permanent fare structure solution is formulated through legally enforceable and implanted means. One way to go is to bring the operations of minibuses under the auspices of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
What also has to be done is that the government has to re-introduce a big-bus service during peak hours, because that is when these unscrupulous and ruthless mini-bus operators exploit commuters the most. And of course the minibus operators do this because they enjoy a monopoly on road transportation. The re-introduction of big buses on a limited scale will break that monopoly.
The working class and the poorer sections of society need to be protected from these vultures in our midst.