Moving, but getting nowhere

Apr 12, 2011 News

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… The Local transportation industry
The recent standoff between government officials and minibus operators plying the East Bank route for what the bus operators regard as a minimal increase, and the government, a non negotiable issue, has backfired after government officials vetoed the request.
In retaliation, the bus operators refused to transport patrons unwilling to fork out the new fare, resulting in hundreds of commuters either reluctantly paying up or being left stranded.
Refusing to be browbeaten, Government officials bounced back by providing free transportation for the stranded passengers to break the increases until the drivers come to their senses.
Naturally, the bus owners, some with loans to service and most with families to feed, backed down and resumed duties despite the denial of their requests.

This is not the first time that these two groups —government and bus drivers—have clashed over increased fares nor is it the first time that the former group has distinguished its power, using strong-arm tactics to quell the imbroglio.
The situation returned to some semblance of normalcy after Government officials chartered the buses to transport the stranded commuters, free of cost. While the situation seemed to have been quelled, rest assured that the bus operators will huddle and come up with alternative strategies to counteract the government’s response. More than likely, the government will retaliate with counteractive strategies to discourage the transportation entrepreneurs from having their way.
While all this is happening, the hapless passengers would be bounced around like a ball and planning activities that take them to the Garden City would develop into a virtual nightmare. They say that when the elephants are at war, innocent insects feel the brunt of the hooves.
When commuters utilised the public transportation subsidised by the government many moons ago, the situation was not so volatile. The big yellow buses and the TATA buses plied a plethora of areas within the various communities, providing reliable transportation for commuters.
The unobtrusive disappearance of the buses resulted in the importation of the minibuses as the private corporate entities and individuals sought to capitalise on the vacuum left after government threw in the towel.
Ever since the minibuses dominated the transportation industry there has been a change of culture and since such cultures were not regulated from the inception, they became endemic and very soon became the exception rather than the norm.
At first, the drivers were given a free rein and were allowed to arbitrarily select their routes for any specific day. This happened until commuters began to complain of discrimination where some areas were left unattended because of the sparse customer base while those areas with a large clientele received more than their fair share of attention.
So it was common in those days to have a group of let’s say, seven persons, at the Kitty Terminal awaiting transportation for hours and being ignored while other terminals with a larger clientele received attention as the drivers arbitrarily switched routes to accommodate the numbers.
Government officials jumped in, in defense of commuters and the zoning system was born.
There were other issues that needed government intervention and among them was the regularisation of the fare structure. Consumers were once again buffeted around as the bus owners increased their prices at the drop of a hat.
Sometimes, and this is no exaggeration, minimal increases of even spark plugs attracted an across the board increase in fares. By relinquishing its hold on the transportation industry, the government had also automatically relinquished control over the regularisation of the fare structure.
The fluctuating costs of spare parts and fuel led to fluctuating traveling increases and the consumer, with minimal disposable income, was naturally placed in a bind— pay up or walk the journey— sometimes to remote villages on the East Coast, East Bank or other far flung areas.
Government officials are fully aware that most of the busses in the sector are purchased on a credit plan and the owners risk repossession of their vehicles if they shirk their monthly installment responsibilities. Ceasing operations and retaining a hard-line position until their demands are met would greatly jeopardise their earnings.
There is no way that these minibus operators could compete with a government with control over the nation’s purse strings. The former group would, therefore be out-muscled into compliance. But while this is a practical approach, can it be regarded as an appropriate way to deal with the issue?
Have all bargaining and other sensible mechanisms been utilised to address these concerns towards an all encompassing resolution?
Those that travel to other countries would obviously marvel at the regularised and well oiled transportation system they encounter. Even our sister Caricom countries can boast of having an efficiently regulated transportation industry.
I have traveled in the trains, buses, overhead tramcars and taxies in North America and Europe. I have traveled in the maxi taxis in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, French Guiana and a host of other countries and feel that I have the authority to make a sound comparative analysis. Guyana, I say, has the most unregulated, disorderly and most lawless transportation industry.
Of all the transportation systems I have experienced I was thoroughly impressed by those in Canada, the United States of America and England. To begin with, these countries enjoy a subsidised transportation system, something Guyanese once enjoyed but which has long disappeared into oblivion.
In Canada, commuters could take a train that transports them around Toronto and its environs and upon disembarking, board a bus for an onward journey without having to pay extra. In Hamilton, where there are no train systems, those commuters could travel for just over a dollar while senior citizens utilise a card that allows them to travel around the very Hamilton community and its environs on a monthly, or yearly basis at no extra charge.
In England, also, commuters can hop off a plane at the Heathrow or Gatwick airports and join a train for a minimal price, I think three pounds- fifty pence. That ticket is valid for, and allows the commuter twenty four hours of traveling around London and its environs.
In Guyana, on boarding a minibus, the transaction ends when one leaves the bus. So if, for example, I take a bus to South Ruimveldt but disembark to attend to business at the Cultural Centre, I will be required to fork out a fresh fare for the onward journey.
In Canada, one joins a bus at the culmination of his journey on the subway and joins a bus for the onward journey, without an addition to the cost. Then there are transfers, issued to commuters for the continuance of their onward journeys within a one hour period if that consumer has to disembark for short periods.
Amidst the arguments and discontentment, one is also forced to examine the quality of the local service. The commonality of grouse disrespect for the traveling public by bus drivers/conductors coupled with the annoying sounds that they call music, played at nerve wracking decibels is enough to run a mad man crazy.
When all this is added to the equation, the consumer is really paying a high price for discomfiting journeys everyday.
It seems that most of the minibus operators operate under a target scheme. The owners (many drivers do not own the machines they control) demand a daily stipulated fee of the drivers, devoid of gasoline costs and remuneration.
The drivers and conductors receive their pay after these costs and the boss’s fees are deducted with the concomitant result of these drivers inculcating a host of despicable traits that defies the rules of life preservation not to mention total disrespect for the road laws. Speeding and overloading are two major attributes of minibus drivers in their bid to maximise profits.
Naturally, such reckless, irresponsible behaviour will precipitate the damage to major parts in the engine and other parts of the vehicles they drive.
Anyone owning a vehicle would immediately admit to the prohibitive cost of spare parts. When one adds the fluctuating gasoline prices the claims for fare increase becomes even more tenable. However, even though those concerns are justifiable, the minibus drivers need to examine alternative means of procuring a reasonable daily income without burdening the hapless commuters who themselves are battling the economic vicissitudes. The government must also make a concerted effort to engage members of the transportation industry and attempt to work out reasonable concessions that enhance their income.
The regulation of the price of gasoline is definitely one of the areas that could be examined. The spare parts industry is controlled by the private sector. Maybe government officials could initiate talks with the head of this unit with an aim of regularising the costs of spare parts.
For their part, minibus operators should desist from excessive speeding, doubling up and the many other vices that hasten the damage to their vehicles. When all the ploys are enacted maybe, just maybe, the maintenance costs would drop considerably, allowing the drivers to earn a take home pay that they could truly take home to their families.
For now, the transportation industry is hurtling into an abyss. Unless a tactful approach is taken to resolve the pressing concerns of all stakeholders this industry would continue hurtling at breakneck speed—to nowhere for nothing.

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