The government has announced the increase in bus fare by $0.25. However, some bus drivers think the approved amount is too low to cover the cost of doing business.
Several public bus drivers spoke with ZNS News giving their take on the increase. One driver said, “to me that was a slap in the face. It was a slap in the face simply because, like I say, the only thing we was asking for was an increase simply because when you look at tires, when you look at maintenance of these bus. When you look at fuel, to full this bus on a daily basis you looking at $150 bucks a day to full this vehicle.”
Another driver opined, “when you look at twenty five cents, twenty five cents now coming back twenty five years later to another twenty five cents that unacceptable.”
At a recently held town hall meeting hosted by the Ministry of Transport and Energy for stakeholders in the public transportation system Minister Jobeth Coleby Davis said she would take the concerns of the drivers and operators back to her colleagues in Cabinet.
The bus rate increase is set to take effect May 1st.
