In the face of an impending stiff competition from the introduction of river taxis for the refusal to lower its toll, the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) is mulling the introduction of busses for school children.According to a senior bridge official who requested anonymity, the matter was discussed at a stakeholder meeting yesterday and a decision was reportedly made to transport school children over the bridge for free. The move by the BBCI comes in wake of a decision by government to introduce river taxis and subsidise the costs for school children to cross the bridge since the bridge company has refused to lower its toll.
Public Infrastructure Ministers David Patterson and Annette Ferguson have already met with the chambers of commerce of Regions 5 and 6 to discuss the way forward. Patterson recently told a news conference that the Ministry of Public Infrastructure has made a proposal to the Ministry of Finance for the subsidising of travel for students and the elderly in the form of river taxis. “Government has committed all efforts to keep our promise which is the reduction of the Berbice Bridge toll to commuters on both sides between Regions 5 and 6. But, the pace of the negotiations is not as expeditious as we would prefer,” Minister Patterson said.
Some misunderstanding
He explained: “There seem to be a bit misunderstanding where the government stands on this negotiation. The government has stated that the current charge for a car when we took over was $2200, we said to the bride company ‘fair enough’ the government will pay $300 per car, the bridge company said there were several other issues which they want to look and we said, but irrespective of whatever the other issues are, we would like to implement this $300 per car….The Bridge company would like the government to deal with all their issues which we inherited to be discussed and resolved in their favour, but we see no reason to delay the implementation since this is a commitment that we made publicity….”
But the plans by the government to introduce river taxis might be grounded if the bridge company go ahead and introduce a service that the administration is moving to implement. According to the reliable inside source, the introduction of the big busses is one of a raft of measures that will be soon announced by the bridge company “to ensure its viability”.
Will be a surprise
The insider declined to divulge what the other measures are, but if the BBCI go ahead and introduce the school busses, it will come as a surprise since the company had said that it is not making money. The BBCI had claimed that it suffered an accumulated loss of $1.4 billion in 2014, and reducing the toll of the bridge will compound its woes. But Berbice Chambers of Commerce and Development Association (BCCDA) President Ramroop Rajnauth said the reported loss by the BBCI and claims of insolvency if it reduces its toll appear to be implausible. He also told the Guyana Chronicle on Monday that the $300 reduction in the bridge toll is not enough. According to him, the $300 reduction boils down to about a $40 reduction per commuter to cross the bridge, and noted that while the introduction of river taxis is a good step to bring relief to commuters, it must be done in a structured way. The BCCDA President explained that persons getting into the service will have to make some investment to get started, and they should not end being in a situation where soon after they begin operation, the BCCI lowers its toll and put their business in quandary.