Latest update December 4th, 2024 2:40 AM
Public has high hopes for local Metro Bus Service
Persons traveling to and from Georgetown have given a range of opinions on the prospect of ‘big buses’ coming to Guyana.
This comes after re-migrant businessman, Robert Millington, recently signaled his intention to bring big buses to Guyana as a mainstream mode of public transport. Two of his associates are also likely to join the venture.
Marissa Greene, a 17-year old student of The Bishops’ High School, believes that normalizing Metro Bus services in Guyana would be quite beneficial to students because they would serve to be a more organized and convenient mode of travel. However, she is concerned that the introduction of these buses could affect the livelihood of minibus drivers and conductors.
Ron Mangra, Public Servant
Marissa Greene, Student
Greene questions whether the presence of the ‘big buses’ could render many minibus operators unemployed. Many persons share this opinion that minibuses operators will suffer significant loss. However, Christopher France, 23 year old doctor-to-be, sees this as a good initiative because he is of the opinion that minibus operators do not follow the protocols that they should and are often disrespectful to commuters. He hopes that the Metro Bus system will run on a strict schedule, and that this system will be managed by a single company, which will have the authority to dictate easily enforceable codes of conduct for their operators. This, France believes, will encourage minibus operators to follow suit to keep up with the competition.
Christopher France, Medical Student
Benjamin Todd, Vendor
Ron Mangra, who travels from Mahaica to Georgetown, also believes that the Metro buses will pick up the slack that minibuses leave. He said that “presently functioning minibuses usually refuse short-drop passengers,” and that Metro buses wouldn’t disregard those commuters. Mangra says that a Metro Bus service that is scheduled and always punctual would influence many vehicle owners to utilize the service, and leave their vehicles at home. This, he believes, would ease traffic congestion.
And one letter writer said that “Robert Millington must be duly commended for his courageous initiative…that will offer a superior mode of public transportation along many of the major bus routes in the country; as these large air-conditioned Metro Buses will provide a safe, comfortable and luxurious ride to the public.”
The letter writer described traveling in a minibus or crossing a major street by a pedestrian in Guyana today “is somewhat analogous to playing Russian roulette – with the frequent fatal accidents to passengers or pedestrians due to the dangerous and reckless driving of some of these bus drivers.”
“ And in this regard, it is no secret that many minibuses are seen every day traveling way in excess of the speed limit despite their unholy contribution to the enormous road carnage in Guyana.
“As the public finds it safer and develops a taste for traveling with the modern Metro Bus service, when it comes into existence, and as the modest initial fleet of seven buses are eventually increased, I would surely hope that there will be fewer and fewer minibuses operating on the streets of Guyana due to a significantly reduced desire by the public to travel in these buses and unnecessarily putting their lives at risk…fulfilling Mr. Millington’s desire of “changing the culture of public transportation for the better.”
But not all persons are looking forward to the Metro Bus service. Aisha Bacchus, a technician, doesn’t believe that this service will be successful because the buses are likely to be more slothful. Bacchus indicated that, because she is always on the go, she prefers the “slam dash” attitudes of most minibus operators. She says that it is useful because it accommodates persons who are in a hurry, especially those who are traveling in the mornings and don’t want to be late to work. Metro buses, she says, will have more people, which means more stops. Bacchus believes that primary school children and the elderly will use Metro buses, but that young adults will cleave to minibuses.
Generally, persons are happy to have a new bus service because they are discontented with the conduct of current minibus services. Benjamin Todd, 63, is a vendor at Stabroek Market. He said that he has mixed feelings about the Metro Bus service because it will be run by private businessmen, and that their interest in profit will overcome their interest in the provision of a proper service. Todd hopes that the government places a financial stake in this endeavour so that they could influence the management of this service for the public interest.
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