PARAMARIBO - Several bus owners whose buses are actively transporting passengers in and around the capital are demanding a bus fare hike as they claim that the current bus fare...

of SRD 14.50 is no longer enough to cover expenses and make a living due to the rising fuel costs, the developments in the foreign currency exchange market and the high costs of maintenance. They explained that the existing bus fares are based on a price of SRD 34 per liter of diesel while the current price of one liter of diesel is close to SRD 40. “The costs keep going up but nobody is concerned about the public transportation sector.” The bus owners claim that a bus ride through the city must cost at least SRD 30 in order to cover the costs. They made it clear that they no longer want to be dependent on fuel compensation because the current system keeps them waiting for payment of the state subsidies for many months. By the time they finally receive payment the money has already lost its value. “We want fares that are in accordance with the current situation on the market. We have to wait for the subsidy for many months and when we finally receive it, the money is worth less.” The bus owners explained that it would be better for the government to subsidize the people directly instead of doing it via the public transportation sector. They also criticized their union namely the PLO for lack of communication with them. The bus owners are demanding a emergency union meeting to discuss the internal problems and the bus fare hike issue.