A government approved river taxi service across the Berbice River will commence today even as government and the Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) remain in talks to reduce the tolls to cross the bridge.
At his post-cabinet media briefing on Friday, Minister of State Joseph Harmon told reporters that the river taxi service will commence in the morning. “This is from Monday coming so that the children who have to go to school and the elderly persons they will have that alternative in place from Monday,” he said.
Harmon’s announcement came almost two weeks after the media was told that cabinet had given approval for the service to commence. The decision for such a service comes in the face of the refusal thus far of the BBCI to accept the APNU+AFC government’s proposal for the lowering of the tolls to cross the bridge. Government had announced that from September, there would have been a reduction in the cost for using the bridge but BBCI rejected the decision saying that it needed to consult with its shareholders.
The river taxi service will cater for the travel of students and the elderly but no provision has been made to provide crossing for vehicles since the terms of BBCI’s contract with the previous PPP/C government prohibits the use of vessels for the crossing of vehicles.
The river taxi service will first be introduced through a pilot project utilizing two covered launches. Harmon had previously explained that government will not be providing the vessels; rather, its involvement will be limited to the provision of the necessary infrastructure and a regulatory framework.
On Friday, he said that government has been in communication with the bridge authorities who have indicated that their consultations with shareholders is incomplete. Harmon said too that government expects that good sense will prevail at “the appropriate time and that they (the bridge authorities) will decide to do what is the right thing.”
Government has proposed a subsidy to cover the loss to the company from lower tolls. However, BBCI is arguing that its financial plight requires a longer-term agreement which would enable a refinancing of its debt with creditors.
The government maintains that it is not its intention to cause the company a financial loss.
Finance Minister Winston Jordan during his Budget 2015 presentation last month had announced that the toll for passenger cars and buses crossing the Berbice River Bridge would be reduced by $300, from $2,200 to $1,900, while the toll for all other types of vehicles would be reduced by 10 per cent.