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Finance Minister joins negotiations to reduce Berbice Bridge toll

Oct 19, 2015 News

Government has been at loggerheads with the Directors of the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI) over its move to reduce the toll and Head of State, President David Granger, is expecting the situation to be resolved shortly with a settlement in favour of the people of East Berbice.
The President was speaking with reporters on the regularly televised ‘Public Interest’ television programme on Friday last when he reported that Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, has joined the negotiations with the Directors of the Bridge company.
He described the tolls charged to cross the Berbice Bridge as unbearable and intolerable.
Asked if government will be looking to take a more forceful approach to getting its demands met, Granger said, “We don’t want to apply coercion.”
He did say that it was the expectation that because of the weight of government’s involvement in the ownership of the bridge that the transition would have been more smooth.
Government, he said, while not being naïve, “assumed that the company directors would have been more compliant with government in the interest of public.”
According to the President, the negotiations are continuing.
While not specifically addressing whether government will in fact buy out the private shares in the bridge, he said, at the end of the negotiating process, there is expected to be a settlement.
“Our intention is to make sure residents of East Berbice will have access to a reasonable toll on the bridge,” said the President.
Asked if the administration misread the complexities of the operation of the bridge and the lowering of the tolls which led to one of the 100 days promise not being honoured, the President said government did not want to take a sledge hammer approach to the matter.
He concedes that the reduction of the bridge tolls is a “commitment we gave that we have not fulfilled but everyone knows we have been trying.”
The President said Government has approached lowering the bridge toll in a legal and official manner.
Since taking Office and meeting with the stonewalling of the directors of BBCI, Government has in the interim, introduced a water taxi service at a subsidized cost.
At the end of last month, Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Annette Ferguson, had presented an update on the service and said that it was utilized by in excess of 10,000 persons since its introduction.
“Between the period of September 21-26, we had a total of 5,264 passengers (4,109 adults and 1,155 children and pensioners); for September 27-October 03, a total of 8,377 passengers (6,800 adults and 1,577 children and pensioners), totaling 13,641 passengers, who have utilised the river taxis for the period September 21 to October 3,” Minister Ferguson explained.
The Granger-led Administration, while in opposition, had expressed concerns about the high toll placed on the citizenry to cross the Berbice River Bridge, which was constructed via a public-private partnership.
Since taking office, the new Government has made proposals to subsidise the cost of the toll reduction, which would have seen a steady decrease in tolls for commuters, thereby bringing relief.
However, the proposal to the Berbice River Bridge Corporation was rejected, and wanting to honour the commitment made, Government implemented a water taxi service for the complaining residents.

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