The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) has noticed the recent announcement that bus fares across all routes will be hiked by $20 effective from September 01, 2018. The new increases, depending on the route, could work out to as much as a 25 per cent hike in fares. The still-high cost of fuel has been among the several rationales advanced to heighten calls by transport operators for a fare hike. While we accept that the operators have found themselves in a difficult position taking into account the ban on used tyres, the increase in the cost of licences and fitness in addition to other increases, it was disheartening for us that the Government, it seemed, did not take cognizance of what impacts the increases would have on the pockets of the working-people.
With the newly increased fares, our workers and their families, depending on the number of buses they would have to take, could find themselves spending several thousand dollars more per month on transportation. Those monies would have to be found from somewhere as our working-people, despite the promised ‘Good Life’, have very limited resources which are already stretched to a maximum. Naturally, we expected the Administration would have sought to see what assistance the State could have lent to easing the woes of the bus operators without placing additional burdens on our people. This is the approach any responsible Government would take as it seeks to protect its people well-being.
We had high expectations that the Government would do what is right and decent. We recall Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, in a June 22, DPI report, being quoted as saying “[t]he issue about price increases for the minibuses is also engaging the attention of the Cabinet… we will have to find creative solutions to the problem of rising fuel prices”. Certainly, the Coalition had several possible fiscal measures at its disposal but rather ‘uncreatively’ passed on the increased costs to hapless, overburdened Guyanese.
The increased cost of transportation and the soon-to-be hiked water rates are the latest burdens that are being saddled on to the backs of our overburdened working-people. Today while we boast of high economic growth, we find many of our people cannot cope with the pressures of life. This is not a healthy situation and one we urge the Administration to pay careful attention to.
