Grenadines wharf terminal service fee implemented

Today is five days since the implementation of the $1 service charge at the terminal building at the Grenadines wharf, and there still seems to be reluctance among some passengers about the new system.

“I do not mind paying the $1, but what I mind is that you have to go through and they ask you your name like you passing through an airport going to a foreign land.{{more}} You think it easy … sometime you can’t find a zip in Bequia, and have to come over here for an hour, rocking, tossing and feeling sick? And now you want to go relax, you have to go all the way up (to the ticket booth) and give your name,” complained one resident of Bequia who chose to remain anonymous.

“I think that (it) is wrong to pay to go to the Grenadines. Why do you have to pay to go from one place to the other in your own country? What about those who cannot afford to pay the money to go to where they live?” These are the questions being asked by Carl Ollivierre, another resident of the Grenadines.

Ollivierre is of the opinion that what happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States should not place pressure on the people of the Caribbean.

In contrast, there are those who are of the opinion that the fee is not a bad idea as there are a number of amenities that are made available for just $1.

“Actually I have been following the whole procedure in the news and I really do not have a problem with using the facility. I do not like waiting in the sun and if I have to use the bathroom I do not want to be running all over the place,” one passenger told SEARCHLIGHT.

On Monday, SEARCHLIGHT caught up with Harvey Caine, Administrative Officer of the Cruise Ship and Ferry Terminal who said that despite the few persons who are making an issue about paying for the tickets, the majority of passengers are complying with the rules.

“What we are trying to do is protect the passengers. We are taking them out of the sun and the rain. They do not have to wonder where to go to use the bathroom. They can have things to eat inside and can sit in the waiting area and watch cricket and can even use the computers,” Caine told SEARCHLIGHT.

The terminal also caters for differently-abled persons with specially designed restrooms.

According to Caine, the service charge will assist with the maintenance of the Ferry Terminal and all the other wharfs throughout the country.

Those who are exempted from the service charge are senior citizens, school children in uniform, persons travelling on government business and persons who are going on the wharf to drop off things to the boat.