Bus drivers giving Laveist
time to finalise new fares
~ But remain prepared for eventualities ~
PHILIPSBURG--The Bus Drivers Association (BDA) will give Transportation Commissioner Louie Laveist a chance to finalise its request for a fare increase, but will be prepared for any eventualities that may arise, says Public Relations Officer Changa Hickinson.
“We applaud the move by the Commissioner and government to have the bus fare increase implemented by November 1 and we hope there would be no unforeseen circumstances that would prevent this from being met. There have been a lot of promises in the past that were not lived up to and that’s why our membership took the decision to act,” Hickinson said Wednesday.
On Tuesday Laveist urged bus drivers to “put down their guns” and give him a chance to finalise their request for an increase. He urged them not to strike and said he would personally travel to Curaçao to ensure that the request, which was approved by the Executive Council on Tuesday, gets the attention of the Governor General. The Governor has three weeks to respond to the Executive Council’s decision.
“We are sticking to our position. It would be foolhardy to do anything different because we were told that the Executive Council dealt with the matter and the Commissioner promised to go down to Curaçao personally and work it through the departments so we won’t have to wait on the usual government bureaucracy,” Hickinson said.
He said the BDA board will meet soon to determine its way forward. “We will meet to mobilise our troops and forces to be prepared for any eventuality but we applaud the Commissioner for doing his best on our behalf. But we reserve the right to act in the event that it is deemed necessary.
“We hope that at least this time the promise would be lived up to and action won’t be necessary. We will give him the opportunity to make good on his promise.”
