– irate drivers complain
Commuters, especially vehicle owners, are experiencing long delays at the Rosignol and New Amsterdam Ferry Stellings as only one vessel has been plying the route since last Friday.
The drivers told this newspaper that they are highly inconvenienced since they have to wait for several hours before they are finally able to get onboard.
Reports are that the pontoon, MB Sandaka which was providing services after one of the ferries, MB Torani had gone to dry dock for the past two weeks, started to encounter problems on Thursday. The pontoon was working along with the MV Makouria.
Stabroek News learnt that “the pontoon was working with only one engine and took about 45 to 50 minutes to get across.” The passengers said that normally the pontoon would reach to the other side within 20 minutes. They said that on Friday the pontoon also “collapsed” and had to be taken to dry dock, leaving only the MV Makouria to ply the route.
Efforts to contact Transport and Hydraulics Minister Robeson Benn yesterday were futile.
A disgruntled passenger said, “It is coincidental that every year-end when a lot of people have to cross to do shopping and other businesses the boats would experience problems.”
According to another, “I know the boats are old and they cost a lot for maintenance but they [Transport and Harbours Department] have a service to provide to the public and they have to be more efficient.”
Drivers at the Rosignol end said they were in the line, which stretched past the stelling road, from early yesterday morning but only got on the boat in the afternoon.
Some told this newspaper that they have started to deliver stocks to companies for the Christmas season. They said normally they would reach across before midday and make their way back to Georgetown in daylight but now they are taking the entire day to get crossing.
They pointed out too that the businesses have to wait until after hours to receive the merchandise.
Some commuters from the New Amsterdam end told this newspaper that they were heading to the airport and decided to travel from the day before for their flight.
They said they were glad that they made that decision because “although we start to travel the day before we still had to wait so long and we would get to the airport just in time…”
According to another passenger who was going to the airport, “This is so frustrating. I would get to another country and come back and I can’t even cross with this boat yet.”
Meanwhile many persons have resorted to travelling with the launch at the Blairmont Stelling but even with that mode of transportation available they are still having difficulty to cross. Workers and schoolchildren said they still end up being late because the launch is not big enough to accommodate many passengers.
Some workers told this newspaper that “there is a mad rush for persons to get on the launch and even though we are regular passengers we get pushed off… some persons push us off so they can get on… it is dangerous because passengers can end up in the river.”
