NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The debate over public bus fares has been brewing for years, with drivers arguing that the cost of running their businesses has continued to climb while fares have struggled to keep pace.
Back in 2008, the adult fare was set at $1.25.
However, as the cost of fuel, maintenance and other operating expenses increased, drivers began pressing government for an adjustment.
That frustration boiled over in 2022, when bus drivers took to the streets in a peaceful protest, demanding a meeting with Prime Minister Philip Davis.
The meeting happened, but the fare increase they wanted did not.
Government argued that many bus commuters were low-income earners who would be burdened by higher fares.
In August 2022, then union president Rudolph Taylor argued that drivers were also struggling to make ends meet.
Date: August 2022
Rudolph Taylor – President, Bahamas Unified Bus Drivers Union
“Drivers or operators who operate these buses is also low-income earners and are middle class.”
That same month, then Transport Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis left that door open about the increase.
However, the relief did not come that year as promised, because .it was not until 2024 that the adult fare finally moved to $1.50, the first increase in nearly two decades.
Now, drivers say even that’s no longer enough.
Rising global oil prices and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have added further pressure to fuel costs.
Drivers say what once cost them about $90 dollars to fill their buses now costs as much as $160 dollars, with diesel approaching $9 dollars a gallon.
Also, with those costs mounting, they’re now demanding another $50-cent increase, to bring the adult bus fare to $2.
However, that frustration reached its boiling point on October 28th, when drivers staged a major sick out after saying Transport Minister Leon Lundy failed to attend a scheduled meeting.
For some, the business is simply no longer adding up.
Ezra Strachan – Bus Driver
“It’s hard, the bus business is now becoming a non-profitable business. We’re basically just riding around assisting people.”
Another meeting was scheduled for October 30th, but the union has not disclosed the outcome of those discussions.
When we last spoke with union president Harrison Moxey, he made it clear that what happened at the negotiating table would help determine what comes next.
Harrison Moxey – President, United Public Transportation Company
“That depends on what we eat, if the government wants to feed us 50 cents I think we’ll be feeling very well.”
