Dear Editor

I WRITE to you after years of thought, discussion and research on the issue of transportation in Guyana. And after these years of contemplating our local dilemma, I have come to one and only one solid unchangeable conclusion: that for as long as bus operators have a chance to earn more than each other on a daily basis, we will continue to face the transportation woes with which we have been plagued for the last few decades.

It is therefore imperative that we as a people, through our elected government representatives, decide with finality to completely eliminate financial competition between bus operators.

If one bus operator is paid a fixed monthly amount of money for his transportation services, he would no longer feel inspired to break the law so rampantly as he is presently doing, when he decides to commit a number of infractions.

The first of those is speeding. Bus operators only speed on our roads in order to ensure they pick up the most passengers and make the most money they can on a daily basis. This speed culture has become contagious as a result of this minibus culture that has been allowed to grow almost freely in our land. It is associated with illegal overtakings over double lines, illegal overtaking on turns and many other speed-related traffic offences. But what it is best known for is the high number of accidents it causes in Guyana. So much so that Guyana now ranks as a country in which road accidents are as numerous, and as fatal, as those in war-ridden countries such as Iraq — all because we have failed to regulate our transportation system satisfactorily enough to guarantee safety for our citizens.

The second of those infractions is overloading. Bus operators only pack their buses beyond capacity in order to ensure that they make as much money as they can per trip. This leads to a high level of discomfort among passengers and in cases of accidents, takes a lot more lives per accident.

The third is illegal stops. Bus operators stop abruptly sometimes in the middle of the road just to ensure that they pick up even those passengers who are not on a bus-stop, nor anywhere near an area where a bus can safely stop without inconveniencing other drivers on the road and without causing road rage and road accidents.

The fourth is loud music. Bus operators, especially those working routes that are traversed by many schoolchildren, blast loud music as a means of attracting more young people into their buses in order to maximise the amount of money they make per trip; a bus full of schoolchildren means more money than a bus full of grown-ups who take up more space per seat and would likely refuse to sit on each other as schoolchildren are usually bullied into doing.

The fifth transgression is the use of touts. Bus operators have continuously used touts and touts have continuously plagued bus parks over the last two decades, despite attempts to get rid of them in the past. Touts are used merely to ensure the bus gets packed faster and leaves the park faster, even if not in the right order of first-come-first-served, which in turn means more money for the bus operator. Touts are extremely annoying and can be seen all over Guyana, pulling and tugging, especially at our elderly folk as they literally fight each other, sometimes with weapons and cigarettes in mouth, to get more passengers in their respective buses.

All five of these illegal activities are motivated by money and cause passengers extreme danger, discomfort, delay, and irritation. For as long as bus operators are earning variable amounts of money, based on the number of passengers they manage to break the law to carry per day, and on their own terms and conditions, we in Guyana will not be experiencing truly “public” transportation. These buses are not only privately owned, but privately run. They are their own bosses and passengers have no authority to which they may turn for redress or issue resolution. Presently, bus operators are kicking out passengers for protesting — politely or otherwise — against loud music and speeding, and for breaking their own terms and conditions imposed on those passengers illegally and unilaterally.

In fact, the only term and condition presently imposed on passengers by the government is the price for the transportation services provided by these privately run buses. All other terms and conditions of the transportation service they provide are privately determined by each bus operator. And even the price is varied by the bus operator when he decides to either bully passengers, especially younger ones, for more money; or to charge more at night; or to give a passenger half a seat for the price of one; or to place a passenger to sit in another’s lap, while still charging for a seat.

In these premises, I propose, strongly, that all bus operators be paid a fixed monthly sum for their services. I propose that passengers no longer pay operators in cash. I propose that passengers present, to the bus operators, bus passes bought at accessible locations, which locations would then pass the proceeds over to a central body responsible for using those proceeds to pay the fixed monthly sums to the bus operators. The central body will also be responsible for exercising regulatory and disciplinary control over bus operators; for determining routes and hours of work for each bus; for ensuring no routes are abandoned after certain hours of the day (or on holidays or weekends or rainy days or hot days); and for receiving complaints from the public about errant bus operators, etc.

This system would need to be either introduced in phases and/or introduced on a full scale after considerable notice has been given to bus operators that they would, from a future date, no longer be allowed to work any routes unless they do so through the central body for a fixed monthly sum. They would need time to register their vehicles and have them be approved for the job. Research would need to be done to determine the best starting amount to be paid to each bus operator to cover gas, mechanical maintenance and profit etc.

Once in place, this system would reduce speeding as bus operators would no longer need to speed in order to make money, as the money would be the same monthly fixed amount, whether he picks up two passengers or a million per month. Passengers would not only feel safer in the bus, but would actually be safer too. It would also reduce overloading, as bus operators won’t need to overload to make the fixed monthly sum either. Passengers would feel more confortable in their seats now. It would reduce instances of illegal stops, as bus operators would be able to afford to only stop at bus stops and drive off if passengers are not at the bus stop on time to enter the bus. Passengers already in the bus would now feel that they will get to their destination on time and safely, instead of having to tolerate buses stopping for many minutes at the most unlikely places to search for, or wait on, new passengers to make that extra dollar. And it would reduce the use of loud music, as the central body would have more control over what goes on in each bus. Passengers would be able to play their own personal music in headphones if music is needed for the journey. They would at the same time be able to enjoy the silent trip if that is their preference. They would also be able to have a conversation whether with other passengers or on the phone as they see fit, without being disturbed by annoying, loud music. Touting would become obsolete.

The police would also spend a lot less time stopping buses for doing illegal things on the road and can focus on bigger issues. Passengers would be able to get on a bus and know that their destination is not the next police station.

There are several industries that would flourish if this system is introduced. Tourism would see a direct benefit as tourists would feel safer getting onto a bus. Trade would also see an increase as people choose to use more public transportation than wasting money on reconditioned cars that only make our city more congested. The drivers affected by the future introduction of the parking meter system would be more willing to leave their cars at home and hop on a bus to save money spent on gas, car repairs, and parking. There is an infinite list of benefits that will come to Guyana as we start to use this system which, incidentally, is generally accepted across the world as the only acceptable system of transportation given to the public.

Proper transportation is imperative for any nation hoping to develop and to keep its citizens happy. Freedom of movement is not a privilege for the privileged class, but a right and an absolute necessity. And freedom of movement must not be served raw, but must be served well cooked and garnished with safety, comfort and reliability, if it is to ever be used by a satisfied populace.

Too many Guyanese are running from the transportation presently being provided and choosing to spend large of sums of money they cannot afford to spend to buy old, unreliable cars and pay for taxis. It has to stop. Our people are suffering. If legislation is needed to make this a reality, then let’s get cracking.

Regards
John M Fraser LLB