Tuschen hire-car drivers plan to raise fares on Monday citing the atrocious roads in the Tuschen New Housing Scheme which they say damage their vehicles.
For a while now, the roads in the scheme– one of the largest in Guyana–have been deteriorating and with ongoing rainfall, it has gotten worse. The width and depth of potholes have been increasing leading to them becoming mini-lakes when it rains. Ever since the scheme was built, the roads were not upgraded, the drivers said. They said having to navigate the potholes leads to their cars’ suspension being damaged, the tyres bent and the exhaust breaking off.
“The majority of roads are bad,” said one driver. He said that recently some “crusher-run” was applied to the main entrance road but it has already reverted to its pot-holed state. The driver also said that large bushes in the scheme scratch their cars and the overhanging bushes renders some streets “one-way” with sections of some roads being only able to accommodate one vehicle at a time.
“We need something to be done about this because it is terrible,” one driver said. Another told this newspaper that they do not know who to complain to as the scheme has reportedly not been handed over to the local Neighbourhood Democratic Council. The drivers said the “wear and tear” on their vehicles leads to a heavy maintenance cost.
They said that they are being forced to raise the fare by $20 which would make it $100 to drop passengers into the scheme. Over 40 hire-cars operate in the scheme. They said that roads in other housing schemes on the West Coast Demerara are being repaired but Tuschen is being neglected. The drivers said that if the roads are repaired, the fare will remain the same.