Bus Drivers want to meet with Government Officials

(ZIZ News) — Dozens of bus drivers hosted what they called a “Stand Out” on Monday to honour the late Kevin “Broadie” Newman who was shot and killed late Saturday night.

The 70 plus bus drivers present were adamant that the stand out at the West Side Bus Terminal in Basseterre was not a strike, but rather, it was a demonstration.

Buses lined the terminal as the drivers offered support to each other as they mourn the loss of Newman.

ZIZ News visited the terminal and spoke with the drivers who said they were in pain and needed attention and support from the government.

Past member of the bus Association Melford Galloway also known as Wailer was quite vocal about the stand out.

“We just want the public and the Government to come forward and see that we need some kind of protection, not just you use the bus man because we transport them. We are the interest of the country. We is who run the country. If the bus man ain run, the country at a stand still. From 9:30 and up to now, nobody. Nobody come forward to say nothing. I mean, let us be real. Let us be real. So wa we be? We schizophrenic? We are baboons?…we not baboons,” he said.

Galloway then called for a meeting between the Government and The Bus Association.

“If one of the Ministers of Government, transportation or whoever and he come here, we just want respect so that they could come and say look, we realise what you all going through because we suffering a lot. Everybody in pain. We in pain. We in agony. So come and release our stress. Try and say look, let us meet together, whether the president or whoever or the Bus Association in a meeting so that he, the other president or whoever, when they go to them, they will come back to we the bus drivers with whatever. Whether it is negative or positive, we just want something.”

Meantime, President of the Bus Drivers’ Association Dayle Hughes said there needs to be a revival of the Transport Board.

“We don’t want to mix sweet and sour at the same time but it is most important as in accordance to law, there is suppose to be a Transport Board that oversees our operations and generally speaking, this board is out of existence for some 12 years now and we have been, since 2012, asking for the resurrection of the board but to no avail,” he said.