NOBA President admits to blunder in bus fare negotiations

President of the National Omnibus Association (NOBA) Anthony Bacchus has admitted that he and his executive made a mistake during negotiations on the new bus fares.{{more}} They are now calling on the authorities to meet them half way to rectify the error.

Bacchus, in an interview with SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday evening, said while he and his Executive negotiated and were in agreement with the bus fares which came into law on August 8, 2011, by way of Statutory Rules and Orders #17 of 2011, they now realise they made a mistake.

He said when the agreed fares were taken to the general membership of the association at a meeting on Wednesday, August 10, those persons operating in the north of the country expressed the view that the increases granted for those areas was insufficient.

The fares under contention are those granted for operators in areas such as Fitzhuges and beyond; Chateaubelair, Petit Bordel and Rose Hall in North Leeward; and the communities north of the Dry River, such as Fancy, Owia, Point, Sandy Bay, Overland and Orange Hill.

Bacchus drew attention to the approved fare of $6.00 from North Leeward communities such as Fitzhughes and Chateaubelair to Kingstown, noting that it was only $2.00 more than the $4.00 charged to travel from Barrouallie to Kingstown.

“Chateaubelair needs to go up some more, and Chateaubelair has a rough terrain,” Bacchus explained.

Another anomaly pointed out by the president is the fact that the approved fare from Georgetown to Kingstown is now $6.00, the same as the fare charged to travel to the capital from communities such as Owia, Point and Sandy Bay, which are further north. The fare from Fancy to Kingstown is now $7.00.

“The distance is too far,” Bacchus lamented.

Bacchus, however, was unwilling to divulge what are the fares the operators in these areas have recommended.

“We don’t want to cause alarm. We will just tend to keep that confidential with the Transport Board.”

The bus operators have also taken issue with the 50 per cent discount specified for school children aged four to 16 years, and all school children in uniform.

Bacchus said the operators feel this stipulation will take them back to the old fare. Prior to these new fares, operators charged 50 per cent of the fare for children aged four to 11, and 75 per cent for children between 11 and sixteen years old, Bacchus said.

The NOBA Executive is now preparing a letter to send to the Transport Board, asking them to make amendments to the fares under contention.

“We know that the fares are going to be like that for quite a while, and we expect the fuel to increase, too, as well. So it better [than] every time the fuel increase we try to get an increase. It is better that we sort it out right now. We are just hoping that the Transport Board, the Minister of Transport and Works, Mr. Julian Francis, could understand, and the rest of Cabinet could understand the situation. I know that the Executive team of NOBA agreed on certain things, but we make errors, too, and we would like it to be corrected.

“We are asking the Minister of Transport to meet us half way and correct the error that we made,” Bacchus said.

“We are not saying it is an error on their part. We agreed and we negotiated and we made a mistake. We are asking to rectify it.”