Guyanese bus drivers transporting persons across the border to Paramaribo must now first apply for the necessary licence, according to Suriname’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Tourism (TCT).
This announcement was made following a protest recently by Surinamese bus drivers, who are accusing the Guyanese of taking away their business. However, the Guyanese bus drivers that Stabroek News spoke with said the licence does not apply to them as they do not pick up passengers in Suriname.
A report by CMC on Monday stated that the Ministry made the announcement earlier this month after Suriname’s bus drivers called on the authorities to find a solution to the problem where Guyanese bus drivers transporting passengers to the Suriname-Guyana border now travel to the capital, Paramaribo.
The TCT, according to the article, said it has requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to help arrange a meeting with its transport counterparts in Guyana and it has also requested information from the Guyana embassy about what is required from Surinamese bus drivers who want to take passengers beyond the western border.
Two weeks ago, bus drivers in Suriname blocked the road to and from South Drain in District Nickerie, where the Canawaima Ferry berths, protesting the action of their Guyanese counterparts, CMC said.
The bus owners say they have been complaining of unfair competition from the Guyanese drivers for four years and it was time for the government to take action.
The Canawaima Ferry Service began operations on November 1, 1998, transporting vehicles, passengers and cargo from South Drain in District Nickerie over the Corentyne River to Moleson Creek in Guyana.
The ferry provides for lively traffic between the two countries, with buses loading up hundreds of people in the capitals Paramaribo and Georgetown daily, to take them to the borders. Buses are not supposed to cross over with passengers though.
According to CMC, the local bus drivers complain that at least six Guyanese drivers who come over with the ferry daily charge their passengers to take them all the way to the capital.
The TCT said it would update the bus drivers this week about their options. It stated too that when Suriname joined Caricom, it amended its public transportation legislation so bus owners from other member states of the regional bloc could also operate in Suriname.
But the TCT said before foreign bus owners are allowed on the roads in Suriname, they first have to apply for a permit and have their vehicles inspected to ensure that they meet the requirements for operating on the roads.
Nothing illegal
However a Guyanese bus operator who has been plying the route for the last ten years told Stabroek News that no passenger is picked up at the ferry stelling in Suriname. While noting that he doesn’t do the regular transport of passengers but rather is a tour operator, the man asserted that his Guyanese counterparts are doing nothing illegal.
He explained that like Guyana, bus drivers in Suriname require licences to operate in the respective zones/district. He said a problem has developed because Guyana’s Route 63 minibuses are now completing the journey to Paramaribo.
Buses would pick up persons from their homes in Georgetown and transport them to the Moleson Creek Stelling to board a ferry across the Corentyne River. Those same buses would also use the ferry to cross and after paying the required charges for the vehicle to cross, the drivers would transport the passengers to the capital. If a person is heading to Nickerie, the arrangement is somewhat different as the journeys ends at Moleson Creek and once they have crossed there are designated bus drivers waiting to transport them. There would be communication between Guyana bus drivers and their counterparts on the other side of the river to ensure a smooth flow of arrangements.
The bus driver told Stabroek News that many times while Route 63 buses are on the ferry, they get passengers. He said oftentimes passengers have big bags and lots of luggage and that is how they would end up boarding a bus on the ferry.
He insisted that the licences do not apply to Guyanese bus drivers as they do not pick up passengers on Suriname’s soil.
It was explained that things escalated last week when one of the Surinamese bus operators tried to block the road and in the process hit a Guyanese bus.
The driver stated that this problem only arises during the off peak season, when less persons travel to and from Suriname.
According to him the only solution to this issue is to separate the bus passengers from those who board the boat without transportation.
