The authorities must urgently grapple with the minibus chaos on the roads

Dear Editor, Another tragic and senseless fatal accident involving yet again, the dreaded mini buses.

Two brothers lost their lives through the gross negligence and senseless driving which we have become accustomed to by mini-bus drivers.

True, there are a few, very few, bus drivers who are courteous compared to the hundreds who are not only discourteous but obnoxious in the way they behave towards other road users.

I don’t believe that the police are doing enough and must take responsibility for allowing this to become the chronic situation it is.

We as a people must demand better regulation of our transport system which has become a wild west and disgraceful affair.

Buses can be seen any time of day in the rush hour periods as well as the slower periods stopping anywhere, pulling in and out of traffic, overtaking on the inside and changing lanes and cutting off others with little regard for the law of the road. I have

seen the police stand by and do nothing.

It is alleged that many police operate mini-bus services and are reluctant to pull in errant drivers. This is a glaring conflict of interest and obviously contributes to the unprofessional, crude and dangerous service offered to the public.

The practice of allowing buses to be customized with art deco designs and boom boxes only contributes further to the egos and competitive nature of the owners and drivers.

If we wish to introduce paid parking, one of the areas which must be properly regulated is public transportation.

If I have to take a bus I must feel comfortable and confident that the service meets the highest public transportation standards for safety and customer courtesy and is under the scrutiny of the overseeing authority.

The Regulatory body for Transportation has to take serious issue with the existing chaos which passes for public transport or continue to hang their heads in shame and disgrace each time one of these buses are crushed mostly because of reckless and senseless driving, killing not only the ones responsible but taking innocent lives like the two brothers who were killed this week.

It would be useful and interesting for the public media to publish annual figures of the number of fatal and non-fatal accidents involving mini buses as compared to other vehicles. Yours faithfully, Bernard Ramsay