(An extract from Daily Argosy, October 5, 1930)

‘Trade is dull, as a matter of fact there is hardly any traffic to make money’, said the proprietor of an East Bank bus to a representative of the Daily Argosy during the week… when speaking of the prospects of the bus trade on the East Bank Demerara. This statement is difficult to reconcile with the fact that the bus trade on the East Bank had increased and is still increasing, judging from the large number of buses operating in this district. At present as far as far as can be gathered there are over a dozen buses operating on the East bank…and all carry quaint names which tickles one’s risibility and at the same time arouses considerable interest. Dividing them into two groups of ‘small’ and ‘large’, their names are Beauty, Busy Maid, Little Wonder, Michigan kid, People’s Idol, Pathfinder, and Venus- all small buses; and Flying Bird, Super Six, Family’s Pride, Golden West, Mysterious Four, Mexican G Flyer, Magnificent Four, Traveller’s Pride, and Wireless – all big buses. In addition to these there are two new buses Don Bradman and Golden Eagle which have just been put on the East bank road…

It is amusing to see to see the ‘scramble for passengers’ made by them in pursuit of their business. So keen is the competition that after the single fare from Georgetown to Grove and vice versa was generally reduced from 24 and 16 cents to 12 cents it was further reduced to 8 cents and even 6 cents…On the road bus drivers and conductors were practically a law unto themselves in the matter of speeding and ‘exploiting’ passengers until after a few serious accidents and disclosures the Police began to apply the Law rigorously. At one time it was a common practice of chauffeurs ‘to touch 25’and more miles per hour, the car or bus hurtling through the villages at such an alarming rate that the Village Councils and local authorities decided to put a stop to the mad career of these vehicles by limiting their speed through the villages to the rate of 15 miles per hour. The policeman on duty in the rural district was a bug-bear to chauffeurs in general and busmen in particular for they reasoned that although their vehicles had a registered number of passengers to carry they could very well make up for gasoline, tyre