Passengers endure disrespect on minibus

Apr 10, 2021 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

Kaieteur News – Please allow me to share my observation of the gross disrespect meted out to passengers by a minibus driver (whose bus number has been provided). On April 5, 2021, around 20:00 hrs., I was heading home in a public transportation (minibus) as per norm from the East Coast bus park. The bus was filled and left the park, but on its way, by the round-about, the driver started to stop for more passengers, although the bus was already filled to capacity. People in the bus started to argue, but to no avail. One lady was sitting on another’s lap in the bus. I am inclined to believe that they had just come from a party because of the way they were behaving. They wore no mask. The bus was blasting loud music, which has become a norm nowadays since apparently the law regarding loud music in public transportation is no longer in effect.
Anyhow, here comes even more and real disrespect. The driver decided to undertake the line at Sparendaam that was caused because of a police roadblock, but the police did nothing. The police just looked at the driver and showed him the sign to proceed. Mind you, this was at a police roadblock and the bus still had loud music, was overloaded with passengers, one on another, and even the driver and some passengers wore no mask. The police just looked at the driver, and everybody in the bus, and told him to proceed. I was unable to see the officer’s badge number or name due to the reflector vest he wore over it.
This has become a norm with these long distance buses and the police. Since most of the time, it would appear, the driver knows the police. From my observation, the only reason the police are there, most of the time, is to cause congestion. No other reason.
Covid-19 doesn’t matter because the traffic police are doing nothing to the minibuses. I am calling on the relevant authorities to look into this matter. It’s not the first time it is happening and I am 100 percent certain it won’t be the last.
One suggestion I have, is for a law to be put in place to mandate drivers to display their driver’s licence in public transportation, so persons can point out or reference the driver rather than the bus, since most drivers are driving buses they do not own and change them often.

Regards,
Tom H. Jones.

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