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It is in the interest of mini bus operators, the government and the traveling public for transportation services to be placed under regulatory control.
If public transportation is regulated, minibus operators would obtain the increase they have been seeking for so long.
While it is within their right to increase fares, the minibus operators wish the government to take the flak for any fallout from increases by having increased fares sanctioned by the government.
The government has not fallen for that and instead, is insisting that increases in fares cannot be considered unless the price of fuel soars above the $1,000 mark.
No regulatory body is going to deny minibus owners an increase considering the movement of fuel prices, spares and the length of time before the last increase and the present.
Minibus owners should therefore call for public transportation to be regulated but should demand that this also apply to the fares charged by hire car drivers and to the number of new buses and hire cars that hire cars be also controlled.
There are far too many new vehicles being put onto the roads today with the result that the turn-around time for each bus is longer. There should be as part of the regulation process, the right to limit the number of vehicles plying particular routes.
The government should recognise an interest in placing public transportation under regulation. But it should not rush to control this process.
It should begin a long series of consultations to gauge the concerns of the operators within the system and to allow them to indicate what form of regulation is preferred so that when regulation is introduced it will be welcome rather than become another bone of contention.
The government has in recent days had to fork out precious taxpayers dollars and further reduce its tax revenues because of the actions of mini bus operators. The government has involved itself so as to protect the traveling public who at present are defenseless without the support of the government.
Regulation will ensure that there is an improved level of service, even if fares have to be increased and the number of new buses and hire cars placed on to roads are reduced.
With new regulation, the practice of doubling up and tripling up will attract sanctions since the regulators would be able to send their own investigators into the field to examine complaints and then after due process to take action against defaulting buses.
Consumers need public transport to be regulated. It was an unconscionable act by the minibuses this past week to withdraw their services without giving adequate notice. Many commuters were left stranded and had the government not intervened the situation would have been worse.
No good service provider- and minibuses are providing a service for which they are paid— should ever treat its customers in this way. It is disrespectful for minibuses to simply withdraw their services without adequate notice.
They have a right to withdraw their services to press for fare increases which, ironically they do not need permission at present to impose.
But they should have the courtesy and respect to inform passengers well in advance that they are withdrawing their services so that these passengers can make alternative transportation arrangements.
Under any new regulations, the traveling public must demand that any bus that arbitrarily withdraws a service without providing notice, should be liable to have its license to operate withdrawn.
Guyana is improving its transportation infrastructure. And what needs modernising is the level of service provided. Bus parks are still chaotic.
There is a need for an organised system including terminals and regulations concerning how fares are instituted and the level of service provided.
It is in everyone’s interest for year-long process of consultation to begin to bring the transportation sector under regulatory control. That process should begin now.
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