PLO chairman: “Buses will return to the streets”

“The buses will ride again starting Monday, July 6,” said the chairman of the PLO, John Mahadewsingh, before adding that the bus fare for a bus ride through the city has been raised to SRD 4. The chairman explained that the PLO has sent a letter to Public Works, Transport and Communications Minister Vijay Chotkan but that he still has not received a reply. Mahadewsingh explained that the bus drivers will stick to the COVID-19 precautionary measures and that they will ride at maximum capacity which means that they will transport 30 passengers. “All the passengers must cover their mouths and noses and they must also disinfect their hands before entering the buses. The drivers will have no time to disinfect the passengers and they also have no money to buy those things,” said the chairman who added that the PLO will never sit at the table with the National COVID-19 Management Team. Mahadewsingh pointed out that he had met the minister on one occasion and that the minister had indicated that the buses could ride again on May 11 but that they had to stick to all COVID-19 precautionary measures. The PLO, however, rejected the minister’s request. The chairman explained that the PLO wanted SRD 350 as compensation for the lockdown period. SRD 250 would go to the bus owners while SRD 100 would go to the drivers. The minister, however, pointed out that the government would only pay the drivers SRD 250. The public transport sector has been paralyzed since March 20 to contain the spread of COVID-19. The bus owners and the drivers held several protests to demand solutions and a bus fare hike. Major Gwendolien Babel, deputy director at the National Security Division, on Tuesday’s COVID-19 press conference announced that talks with the bus sector would take place on Friday.