GOVERNMENT plans to continue the Berbice River taxi service indefinitely, after discovering that 16 trips are made daily, earning the praise of students and the elderly who expressed relief and gratitude.Minister of State Joseph Harmon made this disclosure yesterday at his weekly post-Cabinet media briefing.

The government decided to implement the river taxis as a direct response to the refusal of officials from the Berbice Bridge Company to reduce the tolls to cross the bridge.
“We have been advised that persons on the East and West Bank of Demerara are very happy about the service, and there are at least 16 trips per day these boats are making. They commence work at 6AM and stop at 6PM…,” Minister Harmon said.
“This was going to be a one-month exercise in the first instance, but I believe that, based on this kind of response we are getting, this might go beyond that,” he added.
Meanwhile, Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson notes that 382 persons used the river taxis on Monday, plying the New Amsterdam/Rosginol stelling route.

A one-way trip from New Amsterdam to Rosignol takes about 10 to 12 minutes, and costs $120. That same trip over the bridge takes at least eight minutes, and costs $300.
FREE OF COST

However, the river taxi service is available, free of cost, to toddlers, school-aged children up to the secondary level, and pensioners.

Two taxis, which accommodate 33 passengers each, will be operating the route on a one-month trial basis. As the demand increases, additional taxis will be introduced.

Meanwhile, Cabinet has mandated Minister of Finance Winston Jordan to continue discussions with officials from the Berbice Bridge Company to ensure the reduction of the toll.

The current stalemate was sparked after government announced in its national budget early August that it has approved a $300 drop in tolls for cars crossing the facility – this was from $2,200. For all other categories of vehicles, the reduction was 10 percent.

However, the Board of Directors of the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI) refused to implement the reduction, claiming that it has to take the matter first to its shareholders.

Government then announced that it was introducing passenger speedboats to help lessen the burden of high tolls on the travelling public from Berbice.

TAILORED FOR A FEW

The Berbice River Bridge Act, assented to by then president, Bharrat Jagdeo in January 2006, appeared to have been tailored specifically to ensure that profits were realised for a few investors.

It allowed all income earned by the concessionaire to be exempted from Corporation Tax, Income Tax and Withholding Tax for 21 years. The Act also allowed for all dividends payable to shareholders to be exempted from Corporation Tax, Income Tax and Withholding Tax.

By Rabindra Rooplall