Commuters cry ‘un-fare’

BARBADIANS WERE CRYING “foul, not fair” all over the island as the first day of the new bus fares swung into operation yesterday.

While management of the Transport Board reported that Barbadians were taking advantage of its Travel Smart cards to reap some savings, commuters were complaining from Oistins in Christ Church to Speightstown, St Peter.

But they are not the only ones upset, as some public service vehicle (PSV) operators are lamenting that now they have to pay out more in their lease arrangement with their bosses – the owners – and it simply wasn’t fair to them.

The price hike from $2 to $3.50 was initially announced in Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s Budget last month. A woman, waiting for a van in the Cheapside stand in Bridgetown, summed up the sentiments of many of her fellow commuters.

Giving her name as Heather, she told the NATION: “There are some people who have no choice but to catch the bus. It’s the people that make the least amount that are going to be affected the most by this because they are already dealing with increased taxation.

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