Berbice hire-car drivers protest for higher fare

SEVERAL CORENTYNE HIRE CAR DRIVERS THIS WEEK LAUNCHED A PUBLIC
PROTEST FOR HIGHER FARES to help compensate for skyrocketing fuel and food prices
and charges per passengers which haven’t changed for almost 25 years.
The hire car operators are demanding a 50 percent hike from the current $200 to $300, since they
are forced to reduce the number of passengers per trip by one, under the current Health
Ministry’s COVID-19 rules.
“We need a raise of pay because everything gone up, the parts (for vehicle have) tripled; fuel
price increasing since this new government (was elected to office),” one of the protesting
chauffeurs said.
He said the current fare of $200.00 “can’t compensate us to carry four body (passengers). This
fare has been like this over 24 years now. When the police ask fuh (for) raise of pay, when the
public servants ask fuh raise of pay, when the soldiers ask fuh raise of pay, when anybody ask
fuh raise of pay, car man never ask fuh raise of pay 24 years and ova (over),” the outraged driver
said citing ongoing spikes in local cost of living.
Several of the 35 taxi drivers who participated in this week’s protest said they are unable to fill
their fuel tanks because skyrocketing fuel prices and spikes in household necessities are making
their already insufficient daily earnings meaningless. This they argued, has dire consequences on
the quality of their families’ existence.
“We have families too. We have wives (and) we have to find money like everyone else for them
to go to the market,” some of them reminded www.aroundtheregions.com .

One of them said consumer goods have risen “by hundreds of dollars,” while they still have to
transport passengers for 15 or 16 miles for the same $200.00 (less than US$1) they have been
earning since the late 1990s.

“The pressure deh on pon we the hire car drivers now that is why we gah fu strike for the raise of
pay. So we want $300.00 for each passenger and we fetching four passengers. Up the bank nah
meet four miles but dem man ah tek $200.00, Georgetown ah carry four body! dem man ah tek
$2500.00 to $3,000.00 (as special hire). Black Bush nah meet seven miles dem man ah tek
$300.00 from Back Bush to Adventure head. We travel for 15 to 16 miles for $200.00, come on!
The government has to see this,” another frustrated driver related.
He continued, “The fares not going up (but) the car parts going up and everything (else) going
up. We nah get nothing going, whey (where) we going…. backwards? he queried rhetorically.”
“It is very expensive to maintain our cars and take care of things, so we are asking for $300.00
per person because the fuel price is too high as its going up and its very expensive. Since the
government go in (elected to office) the fuel prices (are) going up every week, it’s really hard on
our families as nothing is being done for poor people,” the driver bitterly complained.
Another driver the current economic squeeze has hit their families very hard making it very
difficult to meet their household needs.
“We have families to maintain, this $200.00 can’t do anything for us, and we can’t
maintain a vehicle and family with $200.00 per passenger as fuel prices keep going up, and
it's very hard on (our) family,” another peeved taxi driver stressed.