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Omnibuses at Leeward Bus Terminal on June 22, 2022.
Omnibuses at Leeward Bus Terminal on June 22, 2022.
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The government should make a decision by next week on whether to grant an increase in bus and taxi fares in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, says Transport Minister, Montgomery Daniel.

Daniel, who is acting prime minister, said on radio on Wednesday, that the government has received all the information that it requested in order to make a decision.

“As you know that there has been a constant increase in gas price … within the last couple of weeks, couple months,” he said on NBC Radio.

Daniel said he instructed the Transport Board to meet with the minibus and the taxi associations after they wrote to his ministry asking for an increase in fares.

“… they made recommendations to the transport board. I then met as the minister with the Transport Board and representatives of the minibus association and the taxi association.

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“Having met, there [was] what is required asking for increase in bus fares. And so, at that meeting, I asked to ensure that you have the justification for the increase that you are so requesting,” Daniel said.

“They have done that, where they have submitted the justification to the Transport Board.”

He said that the matter should have come back to the ministry within a week, but Commissioner of Police Colin John was out of state.

John, who has since returned to the country, is scheduled to meet with the associations on Friday “so that the final requirements will be lodged in a memo to cabinet for Wednesday,” Daniel said.

“I really want to get this out of the way. Because I think it’s timely, it’s something of concern to all of us.”