Time to Reform Guyana’s Public Transportation System

Oct 10, 2025 Letters

Dear Editor,

I am usually sensitive to the plight of small operators in any industry who are simply trying to make a living, but in this instance, I am in no way sympathetic to this particular group and their proposed strike action.

There can be no sustainable advancement of a country that faces labour shortages while two able-bodied citizens are being used to transport just fourteen people. While the minibus service provided much-needed relief to Guyana’s transportation crisis of the 1980s, this sector has, over the years, become more of a societal burden than a public good.

Price Relief for Consumers

Operators claim that maintenance is expensive, but they conveniently ignore that lower fuel prices—approximately 30–35% cheaper at the pump—have not translated into fare reductions. Consumers have seen no relief.

Disrespect for Laws and Order

Collectively, this sector has little to no respect for traffic laws, road etiquette, or passenger safety. Buses are overloaded, music is blasted at indecent levels, and reckless overtaking has become routine. The average commuter feels more trapped than transported.

A Decline in Service and Public Conduct

The minibus system has descended into near-lawlessness. Bus parks are chaotic and unsafe, becoming breeding grounds for harassment, disorder, and criminality. Many of these operators treat passengers not as valued customers, but as prey.

Economic Dishonesty

Whenever fuel prices rise, fares immediately increase. Yet when prices fall, not a cent is passed back to commuters. Constant mechanical failures, accidents, and breakdowns are not the result of injustice, but indiscipline. If operators managed their businesses responsibly, they could maintain profitability even at current rates.

Social Consequences

This sector has normalized indiscipline, disrespect, and disregard for authority. It is one of the few spaces in Guyana where bad behaviour goes unchecked. This has damaged public trust and degraded our collective sense of safety and order.

A Call for Reform

The time has come for the Government to take decisive action and restore structure to our national transportation system. Guyana once had an effective public transport service—and we can again. The State should reintroduce a modern public transport model featuring:

Larger, government-managed buses operating on scheduled routes.
Trained, certified drivers working in shifts to provide 24-hour, reliable, and affordable service.
Clean, safe, and organized bus stops.
Clear fare structures, GPS tracking, and accountability systems for passengers and drivers alike.

With our booming economy and vision for modernization, we must act like the developing nation we aspire to be. A professional, disciplined, and publicly managed transport network would not only serve the people—it would restore order, dignity, and safety to our roads.

It’s time for the reckless culture of private transport to give way to responsibility and reform. Guyana cannot claim progress while clinging to systems that belong to the past. Let us reward professionalism, enforce discipline, and build a transport system that reflects the modern Guyana we all deserve.

Sincerely,
Suraj “Ted” Nazir

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