Passengers treated with utter contempt at the Essequibo ferry stellings

Dear Editor,

I don’t know why more people who travel on the Parika to Supenaam ferry service aren’t writing to defend the gentleman who was made to wait several hours, while other people who came after him were allowed to board the ferry. Maybe they do not have the time or capability, or are plain fed up with complaining and having no remedial action taken by the powers that be.

On several occasions, I made sure of arriving hours before the departure time of the ferry, in order to be first or second in the line at the Parika and Supenaam stellings and have my vehicle number written on a list. But I would nevertheless be left on the stelling watching scores of vehicles arrive ten and fifteen minutes before the ferry departed and still be boarded.

I would then be told that I would have to wait for the next ferry, which was usually the time of the next high tide, so one can imagine the hours of waiting on the stelling. I was made to endure this injustice on both sides, at Parika as well as at Supenaam.

On one occasion, I was told that there are priority passes and that I should go to the ministry and apply for a priority pass. I laughed when I heard who was entitled to priority passes: all government vehicles, of course. We elect them to be lords over us lesser mortals and to treat us citizens with contempt. Another group entitled to priority passes were the staff of the banks.

Anyone who condemns passengers’ complaints is closing their eyes to the bribery and corruption at the various ferry crossings.

One should be able to make reservations and purchase tickets for all the ferry crossings the same way one can purchase GPL prepaid electricity or GTT credit for your phone. A computerised system should enable ticket sellers to make reservations and sell tickets, the same way reservations for plane travel and tickets are sold. The system would inform ticket sellers when a crossing was full. Passengers can then be informed of the departure time of their ferry, arrive at the required arrival time and board in comfort.

Another thing: Why are passengers required to check their vehicle in three and four hours before boarding the ferry? The time of the tide is known, therefore the time of departure is known. Wouldn’t arriving an hour before departure give the attendants enough time to board the vehicles, and vehicles needing to be weighed could arrive earlier to allow for weighing.

For the longest time, passengers needing to cross their vehicles in the ferries have been treated with utter contempt, except for those who have passes or those who pass a bribe.

Yours faithfully, Cherry Yassin