PLO to tackle PL drivers’ reckless driving

“The PLO will handle the bus drivers when they cross the line,” said John Mahadewsing, chairman of the Private Regular Service Bus Owners’ Organization (PLO). He added that the bus owners will keep an eye on the drivers of the PL buses to make sure that they follow the traffic rules and that they do not drive recklessly.

The PL bus owners on Wednesday attended a meeting of the PL at the union’s headquarters. The meeting was held to discuss the measure that the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communication (OWT&C) will take against reckless bus drivers on the Paramaribo-Lelydorp (PL) route. The ministry on Tuesday announced that the PL buses are no longer allowed to drive randomly but that they must wait their turn at the bus station. The bus drivers will also be given a hefty fine if they leave the road to ride on the bike lanes located on both sides of the Indira Gandhiweg. The chairman pointed out that the union has sent a letter to the ministry to complain about certain issues such as the diesel compensation, the bus fares and the delay in the payment of subsidy. Mahadewsing made it clear that the bus owners want the minister to respond as soon as possible. The PLO reportedly wants to meet with the minister to discuss the issue. More than 70 bus owners who had a talk with the union officials at the PLO made it clear that they all reject the decision of the Ministry of Transport. “There will be chaos. What will happen to the passengers who wait for a bus along the Indira Gandhiweg. How long are they supposed to wait?” Mahadewsing pointed out that the ministry made a decision without consulting the bus owners first. “Such as measure can’t be taken unexpectedly. The bus drivers have been driving randomly for many years. The ministry keeps handing out permits to bus owners for the PL route. There are already 160 PL buses in total,” said the chairman of the PLO.