Laveist confident about
November 1 fare increase
~ Elderly could use insurance card as verification of age ~
PHILIPSBURG--Transportation Commissioner Louie Laveist is fairly confident that the new bus fares for the various routes will be implemented by the November 1 target date.
The Commissioner told reporters during Wednesday’s Executive Council press briefing that he was confident Governor Frits Goedgedrag would react to the Executive Council’s correspondence on the fare hike before the implementation date. He said his office was checking into the matter to determine whether his intervention was necessary.
Although the Executive Council had approved the hike, Laveist had said Goedgedrag’s endorsement was needed before it could be implemented. Laveist had asked the Bus Drivers Association to give him some time to finalise the implementation before they resorted to industrial action on November 2 if the November 1 date was not met.
He lauded bus drivers for allowing the elderly and children under age three to travel for free under the new fare structure.
He said the elderly could probably use their sickness insurance cards as verification of their age to benefit from the free travel.
He said too that Public Transportation Committee (PTC) Chairwoman Lucy Gibbes would embark on a public awareness campaign to enlighten commuters about the new fares and the routing system under the new fare structure.
Commuters will have to pay an average of US 50 cents more on the existing fares for most routes when the new fare structure goes into effect. The new fare structure specifies amounts commuters have to pay during the day (“regular fares,” 5:00am to 11:59pm) and night fares (midnight to 5:00am). The new amounts are mentioned for adults and children for the various routes.
