By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

INCREASES in fares for taxis and buses will be included in the “coming weeks”, according to Minister of Energy and Transportation JoBeth Coleby-Davis.

While giving her contribution at the mid- year budget debate in Parliament yesterday, Ms Coleby-Davis said they are engaged in “active consultations” with the Law Reform Commission and she expects fee increases to be finalised in the coming weeks.

She said she shares in the frustration of taxi and bus drivers and is working to resolve the matter and keep public transportation “affordable” for passengers.

She said: “As we are in active consultations with the Law Reform Commission, it is our expectation that fee increases for taxi and bus drivers will be concluded in the coming weeks.

“As Minister, I share the frustration of taxi and bus drivers, however, we are diligently working on these matters. I wish to also assure members of the public that we are cognizant of the need to balance the interests of all stakeholders. In short, we will keep public transportation affordable for all Bahamians – especially our students and senior citizens.”

Harrison Moxey, the United Public Transportation Company’s (UPTC) president said he has been ‘let down’ by the Minister who initially said a 25-cent bus fare increase will be rolled out in the 2024 first quarter following a series

of Town Hall meetings to inform and educate the public on the move that were supposed to be conducted in December 2023.

He said as we are already in the last month of the first quarter it is “unacceptable” they now have to wait for the conclusion of consultations with the Law Reform Committee in the “coming weeks”.

He said: “Our Minister has totally let us down... nothing is happening. She said by the end of the first quarter and we are already in March and nothing has been said. You’re here now at the very end of the first quarter so what coming weeks mean is it’s going beyond the first quarter and preparing us to go beyond that date because nothing has been done. That’s my interpretation of what has been said.

“That’s unacceptable, you’re almost to the end of the of the first quarter when you are already three months delayed from taking any action. Now you saying that you’re waiting on another committee. I mean come on, that’s a stretch.”

Mr Moxey argued the last fare increase granted to bus drivers did not include as much “rigmarole” as it is a Cabinet decision.

He said: “That’s a Cabinet decision. I don’t know what all that talk is. The last increase we got we didn’t have to go through all this rigmarole, it was just done. This really is appalling of her to have the poor people that are hurting at a loss for so long so I don’t know why its all this talking, there has been no timeline given why is it taking all this time?”

He said that bus drivers have become “fed up” with the lack of action by the ministry on the matter and some have already began to charge an increased rate to offset rising costs.

He said: “I mean, come hell or high water we’re going to make the increases ourselves. We can’t keep waiting on them promising that everybody’s getting theirs. It’s just going to happen and as a matter of fact, some people are already doing it. And I don’t have any battles with them against it because it’s such disregard for us as small business persons and we don’t appreciate it.

“You know the folks in the industry are just fed up with promises with no action and quite frankly I am as well. We are trying to get the margins that we need and we need them quickly.”