Passengers on the eastern side of the island were left stranded on Monday following a strike by busmen over the deplorable condition of the St David's main road.

The order to pull the buses plying the Grenville/St. David's bus route was taken by bus owners, drivers and conductors of the Eastern Main Road Bus Association (EMRBA).

Close to thirty buses were taken off the road by the owners as a result of a decision taken at a recent meeting of the association headed by Clifford Chase who said that the busmen have been waiting for too long for answers to their concerns.

The Eastern Main road bus operators parked their buses in the Red Gate area of St. David's and spoke to members of the local media on the status of their talks with the relevant authorities on the situation.

Several police officers and members of the Special Services Unit (SSU) equipped with riot gear were also in the area paying close attention to the strike.

Chase said that several months ago the association wrote to the Minister of Works, Dr. Claris Modeste-Curween to complain about the dilapidated road condition from the Red Gate junction to Bellevue in St. David's since it was creating problems for bus operators.

He stated that a number of follow up letters were sent to the Minister with the hope that the concerns of the bus operators would be addressed but nothing was done.

He added that only last month, they attempted to meet with the minister but were unsuccessful and as a result they had no choice but to decide on a course of action.

"We are fed-up withthe treatment given to us by the Minister of Works and her Permanent Secretary. "The both of them keep turning us down so it is time that we do something, stand up for our causes", he said.

Chase who appeared to have the full support of his members told reporters that at times they are forced to drive on the very edge of the road, (in the mud), in order to make their passengers feel comfortable and to protect their buses from possible damages.

He said that on several occasions they are forced to swing away from large holes in the road which can lead to serious accidents resulting in casualties and fatalities.

The striking bus operators were asked about the plight of their passengers who are dependant on the bus service to get to and from work.

Some of the bus operators said that they were sympathetic to their passengers but at the same time the commuters have to understand that the action taken is designed to bring greater comfort and safety to them.

There were also complaints from the bus operators about the high cost of parts needed to replace damaged ones and unnecessary maintenance on their vehicles due to poor road conditions.

According to one longstanding bus driver, it will be more profitable for he and his colleagues to park up their buses than operate under such conditions because at the end of the day all their earnings are spent on purchasing parts.

President Chase also took issue with some local private contractors employed by Government to carry out maintenance work on the nation's roads.

He complained that a number of contractors after doing work on the road leave them very untidy thus making it difficult for road users especially bus drivers.

Chase warned that the striking busmen are prepared to continue with the struggle until their demands are met.

During Monday's strike, the Parliamentary representative for the constituency of St. David, Denis Lett met with the striking bus men to hear their concerns about the road.

Lett later told reporters that he himself was dissatisfied with the Ministry of Works in terms of the manner in which it was dealing with the matter.

He said that two weeks ago he addressed the matter in Parliament and suggested that something needs to be done about "the very bad condition" of the road network.

"I do not know whether or not the government is taking care of its people but a government that do not take care of its people are doomed to fail. But the next time around the people's voices will be heard so they better take warning", he remarked.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Works in response to the actionm taken by the busmen announced that work will commence this week on filling the pot holes in the road.

The ministry indicated that it had intended to carry out remedial work in the area before but was unable to do so due to the lack of bitumen that is needed to produce asphaltic material for road work.