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HOME	OCTOBER 01st, 2005

The National Bus Association (NBA) says it welcomes the increases in the new bus fares that were approved by Transport Minister Dr. Clarice Modeste-Curwen and scheduled to take effect on October 1.

The female government minister announced the new fares at a press conference last Friday held at the Melville Street Fish Market. It comes after months of negotiations by government with bus operators and a hike in gasoline and other related products on the island.

The Ministry of Transport and NBA have been in discussion for sometime now about the amount students attending the TA Marryshow Community College (TAMCC) should be asked to pay when the new fares take effect. In the past, Modeste-Curwen had insisted that the students should not be allowed to pay the full bus fares since they are unemployed and cannot afford an increase that may impact on their education.

It appears however that she bowed to pressure from the bus operators and had given them the green light to charge the students the same fare as adults. In announcing the new prices, the Transport Minister disclosed that an adult fare for trips within a parish is $2.00 per trip.

She stated that trips which begin in one parish and end in another will have 50 cents added to the existing fare. Modeste-Curwen noted that pre-primary school students in and out of uniforms are expected to pay half the adult fare on every route.She said that in the case of secondary school students in uniform, they will be charged an additional 50 cents to the existing fare.

The female government minister noted also that all secondary school children out of uniform will pay the full fare. Modeste-Curwen pointed out that there is one exemption, in that if there are students who have valid letters from the Ministry of Education to show that they are attending classes, they will be exempted from the full fare.

She also disclosed that students of TA Marryshow Community College (TAMCC) will be charged the full fares for all trips. In commenting on the issue, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of NBA, Jeffrey Cyrus told reporters that the association welcomes the increase.

He brushed aside suggestions that the decision by the bus men to accept 50 cents was forced on them by government ministers. Cyrus pointed out that they had always wanted $2 across the board from everyone regardless of their age or size once they enter their buses.

He said that although this did not happen the increase given is necessary at this time in order to meet the rising costs involved in maintaining their buses. He pointed out that the price of a bus is now EC $100,000.00 while insurance cost had also risen from $2,000.00 to $10,000.00.