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According to the National Council on Public Transportation (NCOPT), new bus fares are expected in July this year.
On Thursday NCOPT Representatives met Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and Transport Minister Stephenson King for what council President Godfrey Ferdinand described as a very successful session to discuss the fare and other issues impacting public transportation.
“We appreciated that the Prime Minister took time to address some of the key issues that we have had – discipline, the bus fare, concessions and exemptions that the sector gets from the government,” Ferdinand explained.
“Out of that came the bus fare issue. I think the public is waiting to hear when it will be implemented,” the NCOPT President stated.
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He explained that there was agreement on a July deadline, ahead of which certain issues, including finalising fare boundaries.
According to Ferdinand, fare increases would be twenty-five cents, fifty cents, and one dollar depending on the route.
“The highest on some routes is one dollar and we are talking about long routes like Soufriere and Vieux Fort,” he said.
Ferdinand recalled a 2013 bus fare review that recommended the increases.
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“We have asked the government to implement that because we just cannot wait for the 2022 report,” he told St Lucia Times.
The NCOPT President acknowledged that a few member associations preferred to wait.
But he noted that the majority prevailed.
Headline photo: Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and Transport Minister Stephenson King meet NCOPT representatives.
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