Some Route 44 (George-town to Industry) bus operators were taken into custody yesterday morning and warned after they were accused of trying to prevent other operators loading passengers at the Regent Street, Georgetown bus park.
The accusation came after some drivers who ply the route locked their buses in line at the park and left them there, thereby preventing other drivers getting in line to load their vehicles.
Vice-Chairperson of the United Minibus Union (UMU) Cecelia Richards stated that a dispute started just about a year ago, when Industry bus operators were given permission by City Hall to use the front section of the bus park to load. “We took the matter to court, a ruling came down from the judge on Monday for the park to return to normal. Normal is you come in from the back and you come up, as you go in front you load. But what they were doing is they were holding spaces for each other and cutting in line and not allowing the UG [University of Guyana] buses to load,” Richards explained.
She stated that George-town Mayor Ubraj Narine went to the park on Wednesday afternoon and spoke with the drivers about the ruling and what needs to be done because of it. “This morning we came and they all locked their buses and were not working, were standing on the outskirts and were just not working, preventing all the UG buses from coming in. So I called the police, they were arrested, taken to the station and they were warned,” Richards said.
However, one of the drivers who was held by the police stated that he and the others did not lock their buses and leave them at the park to cause any problems or to protest. Jason Joseph stated that he and two other drivers came to the bus park on Thursday morning and were stopped from entering the park by drivers from the UG route. “This morning we come, they take over the whole line and we couldn’t come in so we come in and join the line from the back,” he stated.
Joseph added that he and other drivers subsequently left their vehicles at the bus park as they went to City Hall to speak with the Mayor. After they returned to the park, they were made aware that the police were summoned.
Joseph stated that he feels like the Industry bus drivers are treated unfairly as the operators who ply the UG\Industry route usually take most of the passengers. He added that passengers would go to the UG\Industry buses as they load faster because of the amount of persons that travel to UG. “When the UG\Industry bus done make a few trips, we’re still in the line waiting for passengers and when they come back they calling our passengers out because they loading faster,” he explained, while noting the need for a change.
According to head of the UMU Eon Andrews, then Town Clerk Royston King made the agreement with the Industry bus drivers last year to allow them to take up the front section of the bus park. Andrews added that the front section of the park was marked off and only industry drivers were allowed to load their buses there. As a result, Andrews said that the union chose to go to the Mayor and City Council to inquire about the agreement. “Now, we thought that instead of having confrontation, because things could have happened, let’s go to the right place, to the courts. City Hall call us in and they would’ve shown us they never had passed anything at their statutory [meeting] that this park must have a divide,” he said.
Andrews stated that the bus park has been a model for other bus parks in the city.
