Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Annette Ferguson has held a meeting with the aggrieved Berbice minibus operators who claimed the operation of the water taxi service is putting them out of work and is currently drafting a proposal to reach an amicable resolution.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, the concerns of the minibus operators are on the ministry’s agenda.
The release quoted Senior Minister David Patterson as saying “We are aware of their concerns and the common objective is to have a win-win solution.”
He had noted with concern the statements made in some sections of the media pertaining to the initiative by the government for water taxis plying the New Amsterdam/Rosignol route.
He reiterated that the move by the present administration is a necessity for residents of Region 5 and 6 to ease the financial burden of the high price to cross the Berbice Bridge, the release said.
The water taxi service commenced operation on September 21 and as at September 26, 2,276 passengers had crossed from Rosignol to New Amsterdam and 2,701 passengers from New Amsterdam to Rosignol.
The implementation of the water taxi service came after government hit a stumbling block in its negotiations with the Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) for an agreement on the reduction in tolls.
While talks are ongoing, government opted to introduce the water taxis to bring immediate relief to commuters who had been promised that the tolls would have been reduced more than a month ago when the budget was read.
However, Berbice River Bridge Minibus Association President Dennis Chesney told this newspaper on Monday that his members were being sidelined in the new arrangement as the current situation had resulted in the reduction of the fleet of active buses from 49 to 35.
The water taxi is free to students and seniors and therefore has become their preferred mode of travel across the river.
Chesney said he and the other operators have families to feed and they are the ones who are struggling now.
