– to provide competition to minibuses across Bridge

The highly-anticipated water taxis went into operation across the Berbice River from New Amsterdam to Rosignol on Monday morning without any hiccups.

MV Shanit on one of its trips

At 06:00h, MV Nicholas left the New Amsterdam Stelling, while MV Shanit departed the Rosignol Stelling.

The two boats worked all day transporting persons across the Berbice River for $120 each either way, with teachers, nurses, pensioners and schoolchildren crossing free of charge. The two vessels previously plied the Georgetown/Vreed-en-Hoop route.

The move to reintroduce water taxis to cross the Berbice River was made after Government was unsuccessful in getting the Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) to reduce the toll to cross the Berbice River Bridge by $300.

By 09:00h, each vessel had completed nine trips taking a total of 41 passengers from New Amsterdam and 347 from Rosignol. According to one of the boat operators, Basil Budram, Government has agreed to pay the boat operators $1500 for each trip they make.

The reintroduction of  the boat service across the Berbice River has seen hire car operators on the New Amsterdam side of the river re-establishing a service from the New Amsterdam Ferry Stelling, which is considered a lucrative route to operate. Hire car operators around New Amsterdam charge $100 per drop but those operating from the Stelling charge $140.

Some had anticipated that the reintroduction of the boat service would bring to a standstill minibus operations along the Number 56 route (New Amsterdam-Rosignol). That was not evident on Monday. At New Amsterdam, business had slowed down by approximately 30 per cent. The drivers have expressed concern over this, saying that all of the 49 buses that are registered to operate along that route cannot work each day since the association took  a decision to allow operators to work only five days per week to enable all of the drivers to make a day’s pay when they work.

MV Nicholas

“With the boat operation now it gon became harder for us. The Prime Minister [Moses Nagamootoo] said that the water taxis will come so that they can put pressure on the Bridge Company, but the only people that feeling the pressure is we who operate the 56 route,” one driver said.

Asked why they preferred to use the minibus service which cost $300 to cross the river and takes longer as against the water taxis which are also cheaper, some commuters said they were afraid of water. Others said it was safer. Some of those interviewed noted that when the Bridge came into being it signalled progress and they did not wish to go backward.

In the afternoon, as persons started leaving school and work, the water taxi traffic picked up after averaging four passengers per trip in the non-peak hours.

Government had said that four water taxis would be put into operation. Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson said the service would be withdrawn once the Private Sector takes hold of the business opportunity