The Guyana Consumers Association (GCA) yesterday urged consumers against paying higher bus fares, while calling on the government to ensure a police presence at parks to receive complaints about overcharging.
The call came as minibus operators yesterday complained about harassment by police in order to intimidate them.
“…Pay no more than regular fares,” GCA President Eileen Cox said in a statement, while rejecting “the unfair and unjust attempt by some minibus operator to extort money over and above the regular fares from commuters.”
Cox referred to operators dishonouring an agreement made with Minister Manniram Prashad to have fares remain the same unless the price of gasoline rose above $1,000 per gallon. This agreement, she said, is perfectly valid and she said any commuter entering a minibus must not pay more than the regular correct fare.
Cox also said fare structures should be prominently displayed outside the minibuses or a commuter must assume that the fare is regular. She said it was “useless” to have fare structures posted in buses, since commuters should know the fare before entering. “When a commuter enters the bus, he assumes the fare is the regular one and should ask the intervention of police, if the bus operator attempts to charge above the regular rate,” she added.
To this end, Cox urged that government have a police presence at bus terminals, where commuters could complain of overcharges. She also said that government has been subsidising minibuses by keeping the price of gasoline low while police have been turning the other way in cases of overloading and the playing of loud music in buses.
Further, she added that many operators now trying to raise fares by exploiting commuters are known income tax evaders. As a result, Cox said police must enforce the laws against overloading and noise in the buses, while income tax inspectors must travel on the vehicles so as to follow up on tax evaders.
Meanwhile, yesterday minibus operators continued to complain of police harassment, while also urging further relief from high gasoline prices.
At the Route 45 Bus Park, conductor Kevin Sandiford told this newspaper that he thinks the government should reduce the excise tax on gasoline or raise the salaries of the public servants. “If the gas price drops to $700 or $800, we’ll gladly reduce our prices,” he assured. The conductor also stressed that a price structure is needed at dealerships where spare parts are sold. “They need to do this so that these prices don’t exceed a certain limit,” he continued.
Sandiford said despite the rollout of the free big bus service by government, operators have their usual passengers who are also willingly paying the new fares. “I feel the government can control this situation but they chose not to,” the man said. “I think is wrong of them to try to set our price range… Now they putting ‘No Stopping’ signs all over the place,” he added.
Complaints have been made that one of these signs has been placed in front of the Route 40 (Kitty-Campbellville) Bus Park since their $20 addition to fares.
It was alleged that police working in the area have been taking bribes from certain buses while when other buses find themselves on the sign, they are paying the full consequence. This is a major concern of operators since this area was once used to drop off and uplift passengers.
Pulled off
Eon Andrews, President of the United Minibus Union which represents several zones, noted that six of the union’s members, working along the Route 32 (Georgetown-Parika) route, were yesterday morning pulled off the road by police. According to him, the police had no apparent reason for taking such action and later released the operators.
Operators, after hearing this, believed that they were being intimidated. “It will not work though. We working for our same fares,” a conductor said.
One owner/conductor, Jamal McLeod, thought the government’s decision to provide free transportation was a political move. “They want to confuse the people before elections,” McLeod stated.
The Guyana Trades Union Congress yesterday staged a meeting at the head of East and Church streets, where Andrews addressed the public.
To consumers and commuters, he stated, “We are your friends…try to understand. Do not allow these people to inflate a hatred between you and our operators.” Andrews also assured the travelling public that if they do not sometimes have the required fare, they should explain to the operators, who, he promised, will try to be reasonable.
The Alliance For Change (AFC) also voiced its opinion on the situation yesterday, advising the minibus associations and commuters that the government has no authority to fix bus fares and saying that therefore the use of traffic ranks to disallow the increase amounts to coercion, deception and a misuse of power.
The AFC said it also recognised the predicament the travelling public may face with the rising cost of living. This, it said, is the result of an unfair tax system that places too great a burden on the poor.
At the bus parks yesterday afternoon, operations seemed to be going on as usual. However, one big bus was seen leaving the Route 32/Parika area transporting passengers.
Andrews received a letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday informing that a meeting the union requested will have to be rescheduled from April 20 to a later date. The union head took this as an indication that other Ministries have recognised the Union. “Is only (Commerce Minister) Manniram (Prashad),” he stated.
