By Ernesto Cooke (News784) – Ten school buses were handed over to the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines on Monday 28th August 28, 2017.
The donation was due in part to the continued relations between St Vincent and the Grenadines and Taiwan.
Minister of Transport and Works Julian Francis speaking at the handing over ceremony said, the government is of the opinion that school children in the country are short changed by bus operators most o the time.
“I will go as far as saying that some people have concessions to carry school children and contracts, but when there is a cruise ship in the harbor, they abandon the children to take tourist for the day”.
Francis said the government have picked up on this and have in fact deducted from the driver’s monies for the days they spend at the cruise ship berth.
“I have seen school children in and around Kingstown on many afternoons, and more so as you get to the shorter days, you see kids by the lottery, the tennis court outside of the Girls High School, and on the leeward side at Russels waiting to go home”.
Francis said the kids are also discriminated against by the bus operators because they pay a lower fare.
“On afternoons the bus drivers would rush to take full paying passengers first and then give kids a second chance”.
Minister Francis said with the buses now donated kids come first other travellers come second; such is the priority on the buses.