Dear Editor,

Words cannot express my feelings about the hardship teachers, nurses and students travelling across the Berbice Bridge experience, especially those from central Mahaicony, and West Coast Berbice. About a year ago, I aired my concerns on the Monday night programme ‘Action Line’ with moderator Mr Michael Gordon. My suggestion was that the fare across the Berbice Bridge charged by those unscrupulous minibuses was too high, and that a new bus route across the Berbice Bridge should be implemented. I am therefore happy to hear that President Jagdeo took this matter up a few weeks ago, and now it is in the safe hands of Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee. As a person, who is well known, I am quite confident that the outcome of his meeting with those concerned would bear the right fruit for the travelling public. The present fare charged by the minibuses should be reduced to half the amount.

Another point I aired on ‘Action Line’ was that there was no toilet facility and bus shed on the eastern side of the bridge. In July last year, I attended a friend’s funeral in Rose Hall Town. On my way back I didn’t see any policeman near the bridge on either side. I joined a minibus from Rose Hall Town to the bridge which was packed tighter than a tin of sardines. I was dumped out in a very uncouth way, without the driver saying, ‘Passengers, this is your destination,’ and telling us where we could join a bus to cross the bridge. About ten minutes later I joined another bus to the Rosignal stelling, with about twenty-five passengers aboard and without a conductor. The Traffic Chief should note that these fifteen-seater minibuses operate at night without conductors. Eventually, I joined a Georgetown route bus for my destination to Mahaicony, but there was more confusion since there were about at least about twenty-five passengers on board,  many of whom were made uncomfortable en route by passengers getting off and on for short drops. It wasn’t something good for the travelling public. Lastly, I am calling on President Jagdeo to use his good offices to look into these seven-thousand dollar traffic tickets. It is very hard on our drivers.

Yours faithfully,
Stuart Rutherford