Last Monday, I was in Kitty when I observed a Kitty-Campbellville minibus, already overloaded, pick up three more passengers who were too willing to join the disaster-on-wheels waiting to happen. Not only was this bus so packed that the conductor had to stand with his rear end out the window, but the music was loud, and it sped off. It was a reminder that our people are so accustomed to a state of disorder that they seem not to be terrified while in discomfort and danger in a packed, speeding, and loud minibus.
But perhaps many do not know that what we accept in this country that puts our lives at risk and surrounds us with darkness, is not fit for civilized people.
A bus conductor’s buttocks hanging out of the window of a speeding bus in which school children and workers sat is only one example of the lawlessness that is accepted as the norm in this society. It filters from the top and though the people may cry they are complicit in their demise.
On Tuesday I saw news of an accident at Good Hope on the East Coast of Demerara. It was reported that a speeding minibus crashed in the process of overtaking another vehicle. It was reported that the driver and a young woman were killed and when their identities were revealed, I learned that the young woman was someone I knew. I knew Annalisa Lakhan-Haynes since childhood as we both grew up in Buxton. She was hardworking, courteous, a wife and mother, and seeing her mangled body in pictures and videos was devastating. I am sure my devastation however cannot compare to the grief of her relatives and friends.
It has been proven time and time again, by how they speed, overload their buses, overtake other vehicles, run red lights and are sometimes abusive to passengers, that many minibus drivers and conductors do not respect their passengers or care about their safety.
What is even more heartbreaking is that the people have allowed this reckless minibus culture to continue for more than three decades and every year the number of restless spirits increases on our roads.
Most passengers sit quietly in these buses while they speed. Most of them are comfortable with the loud music. Some of them even ask for the music to be louder. And it is known that if there are passengers who speak up and ask for the volume of the music to be lowered or for the driver to slow down, they are often verbally abused not only by the driver and conductor but also by other passengers. One must often wonder about the general level of intelligence in this society.
Many Guyanese drivers seem to believe that they are invincible. Every day we see drivers in all types of vehicles flirting with death. Then when lives are lost because of impatience and recklessness, we raise our voices for a few days and before long there is silence until the next tragedy occurs.
Most would agree that minibus drivers are among the most reckless on the roads. Not all of them, but a large number. And that large number sullies the reputations of the minibus drivers who are thoughtful, careful and abide by the traffic laws. It is unacceptable that our voices have not been louder in advocating for changes in the minibus culture.
I would have mentioned in a column before that my fear and questioning of the safety of minibuses began in the 1990s. It was on the way home from school one afternoon when I saw the aftermath of a horrific accident on the Rupert Craig highway. The image of the driver hanging from the front of the minibus where the windshield had completely shattered, and his head split in half traumatized me. I was twelve or thirteen years old at the time and since then, every time another horrific accident involving a minibus occurs, flashes of that driver’s body resurface in my mind.
But what have we done to curb these accidents since the 1990s? For a brief period, there was the reintroduction of big buses in the 1990s. I remember how I loved catching those buses to and from school. They were comfortable, spacious and I felt safe. It was disappointing that it only lasted a few months.
Minibuses appeared sometime during the 1980s. Before that, there was a transit system of yellow buses in the 1960s and 1970s. These were followed by what they called Tata buses. Many of us who have travelled to places like the United States and the United Kingdom have seen how public transit operates. They are on schedule, they do not break the speed limit, there is no loud music, the buses are spacious and though sometimes they are crowded, people are generally safe. Unfortunately, many of our people cannot imagine Guyana having such a system because for so long we have accepted this poor way of living.
Having big buses would be safer for the population. We do not need further evidence that the minibus culture has resulted in many avoidable deaths and injuries. While I understand that private citizens buy these buses to earn a living, and many will complain if big buses were to be reintroduced, the safety and comfort of our people must be prioritized. It is not now that many citizens have been calling for the return of big buses, but there seems to be little or no effort to bring this to fruition.
Give people an option. Reintroduce the big buses and minibuses can still operate for those who wish to continue using them. Many may argue that we need better roads to accommodate big buses and while I agree we do need better roads, how did the big buses operate in the 60s, 70s and 80s?
Reintroducing big buses will not only create more public transportation options, but it will ease the fears of many who depend on minibuses and people will be more comfortable and safer while traveling. It may also inspire minibus operators to behave more like responsible adults.
Minibuses passengers, your voices can begin to change the minibus culture. You do not have to sit in a speeding bus. You do not have to sit in an overloaded bus. You do not have to sit and listen to the loud, often lewd music that some of these minibuses play. The silence of a majority brings death and destruction to a nation. Just look at us. It is time to speak up.
