Water taxi service begins to bite…Bridge Company begs for meeting with NIS
As the Government of Guyana pushes ahead with its stated objective of making life better for all Guyanese, the introduction on Monday of the water taxi service across the Berbice River has started to bite.
Striking minibuses
The Number 56 route minibus operators
who operate the Rosignol to New Amsterdam route
across the Berbice River Bridge
took strike action on Tuesday
and the Berbice Bridge Company (BBCI)
began calling for a meeting with
The National Insurance Scheme (NIS)
to discuss the lowering of the bridge toll.
The minibus operators stated
that they were already finding it extremely difficult
to make ends meet
due to the high cost to cross the bridge.
Now with the introduction of the water taxi service
and the free crossing for students, nurses and pensioners
it is even more difficult.
On Tuesday, they staged a protest
in the vicinity of the Berbice River Bridge at D’Edward
demanding that someone looks into their plight.
There are 49 buses that operate the route
and according to the owners they were already
not being able to work every day,
with 14 being off each day
limiting them to five days work during the week.
Too many buses are on the route.
The buses would sometimes make two trips per day,
especially on Mondays.
However, on Monday they were reduced to one trip
for the day with some not being able to make any
as the commuter decided to take advantage
of the cheaper and faster water taxi service
provided by the MV Nicholas and MV Shanit
across the Berbice River.
The minibus operators said that it is no longer profitable.
If the BBCI does not reduce the fare or
the water taxis do not stop working
then many of us will starve.
One official of the minibus association stated
that before the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD)
used the pontoon service
which operated in the morning and afternoons only.
However the water taxis are working whole day
and carrying the people free, so who will travel with the bus.
Persons are required to pay $120 to cross.
The government has also
agreed to pay the operators $1,500 per trip.
The operators are calling on the government
and the BBCI to come to some compromise
as quickly as possible so that everybody could get to live
. “The bridge company should come clean
and state the true position with the bridge.
They cannot play selfish and greedy
and allow us to starve.”
They operators stated that what is happening
is hampering their chances of earning a full day’s pay.
They feel that the government and
those who are involved should come to a quick arrangement.
One driver is asking why put systems in place
for only children who are crossing the river and
not those who have to travel down the coast.
He stated that he has 11 children,
seven of whom are attending school
and he has to fend for them.
He is working someone’s bus and
is already struggling to make ends meet.
He is wondering how he is going to make out
now that they are hardly getting work
with the introduction of the water taxis.
By Tuesday the water taxis service
had begun to bed in,
with more commuters utilizing the service for the entire day.
On Monday the two taxis only
did good business in the morning and afternoon hours.
On Tuesday business was bright for most of the day.
The boats which begin operation at 06:00 hrs
and continue until 18:00 hrs
operate on a touch- and-go basis
and had by 14:00 hours, completed 16 trips.
The government was forced to introduce the water taxis
across the Berbice River after the hardline stance
taken by the BBCI in refusing to reduce the toll
to cross the Berbice River Bridge by the $300
which was announced by the Government,
even though it had agreed to subsidize the cost.
By Tuesday afternoon there were indications
that there were more water taxis that
were ready to take the river
with the arrival of a third boat on a truck.