MINISTER within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Annette Ferguson, has indicated that more Berbice river taxis will be needed, given the number of persons using the service. The river taxi service was introduced in light of the delay over a reduction in the Berbice Bridge toll. The Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) and the government are still to decide on a way forward.
“We have noticed a great increase in the number of commuters. The government would have to increase the number of taxis eventually given the influx of the users,” Ferguson said recently.
TIME-SYSTEM
During a meeting she had on Thursday with the members/drivers of the Route 56 Minibus Association, there was a proposal for a “time system” which government suggested should be re-introduced, which meant that the Berbice water taxis would halt their service several hours during the day in an effort to facilitate the operation of the buses.
Drivers complained to the minister that since the new system was introduced, many buses “would barely get a load or two on a daily basis, and if the situation persists, as many as 49 families will be on the breadline.”
Prior to the introduction of the water taxi service, the mini-bus was the main mode of public transportation plying the Rosignol/New Amsterdam route where the one-way fare for an adult is $300 compared to $120 with the water taxis.
The minibus operators, however, suggested to the minister that the most viable option is to allow the buses to operate between 09:00 hrs and 15:00 hrs as was previously done when the pontoon was in operation.
Minister Ferguson assured the minibus operators that she would discuss their proposal with her colleague David Patterson, Minister of Public Infrastructure, and give them a feedback as soon as possible.
As for the difficulties drivers are facing, she said “it was never the government’s intention to take bread out of anyone’s mouth.
“We are just trying to bring relief to Guyanese who felt the pressure of paying a hefty price to cross the bridge.”
Meanwhile, the association’s members made it clear that their recent protest action was directed at the Berbice River Bridge officials and their unwillingness to accept the arrangement offered by government.
Ferguson said her ministry was not insensitive to the plight of the Route 56 minibus operators, who had been shuttling passengers across the bridge prior to the introduction of the river taxis on September 21.
The river taxis were introduced by the APNU+AFC government after the directors of the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI), the alternative river crossing, had baulked at the idea of reducing the price of the crossing, even though they were offered commensurate compensation for this.