Cabinet has approved the increase of bus and taxi fares in St. Vincent and Bequia.
Effective Sept. 1, 2022, commuters on omnibuses will be required to pay EC$2 for any distance of a mile or less, commonly referred to as a “short drop”.
With the new fares, commuters will pay EC$8 to travel the 23 miles between the capital, Kingstown, and Chateaubelair or any place north of that North Leeward town.
On the windward side, commuters will have to pay EC$9 to travel the 35 miles between Fancy and the capital.
A trip to the interior community of Mesopotamia, a distance of eight miles, will now cost EC$3.50.
Most of the increases represent a 50 cents hike in the current prices, but in some communities, such as to Keartons, Barrouallie, and Wallilabou, it will increase by 25%, moving from EC$4 to EC$5.
The cost for a trip between the capital and Layou will now be EC$3.50 and EC$2.50 to Calliaqua.
The Cabinet has also established prices between regional capitals, such as Georgetown, Barrouallie, Chateaubelair and other communities.
For travel between Georgetown and Fancy, commuters are now required to pay EC$5, EC$4 to Owia or Point, EC$3 to Sandy Bay and EC$2 to London, Overland, Orange Hill and Magum.
From Barrouallie to Chateaubelair and beyond, the fare is EC$5; EC$4 to Rose Bank, Troumaca Rose Hall, and Petit Bordel; EC$3 to Coulls Hill, EC$2.50 to Spring Village and EC$2 to Belle Isle.
In Bequia, the highest fare is EC$2.50 between Port Elizabeth to Paget Farm and Barton Hill and EC$2 for other distances. The fee for a short drop is EC$2.
Taxi fare between Argyle International Airport and “short distances” such as Diamond and Spring is EC$39 (US$16) for one to three passengers, and EC$13 for each additional passenger.
The rate increases to EC$39 (US$16) after hours.
The cost of a taxi from the airport to Fancy is EC$240 (US$90) during regular hours and EC$300 (US$113) after hours.
To Richmond, it is EC$295 (US$111) during regular hours and EC$390 (US$130) after hours.
Meanwhile, passengers will pay EC$13 (US$5) for a trip within Kingstown or to its environs. That figure rises to EC$17 (US$7) after hours.
The fare to Mesopotamia (police station) is EC$65 (US$25) and EC$82 (US$30) after hours.
The fare from Kingstown to Fancy is EC$247 (US$92) and EC$309 (US$116) after hours, while to Richmond, it is EC$245 (US$87) and EC$293 (US$109) after hours.
Everybody deserve a raise to adjust to the high cost of living in SVG but the millionair PM and the thousanair FM are economics dunces. They only want to beat the beast of burden (taxpayers) to death.
There should of been NO FARE RISE the government should have observe that with various measure, but he don’t care about the nation only of himself and his cronies