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 The road switch has been implemented but members of the public relying on buses are in for an uncertain time over the coming days.
Apart from 18 buses in Upolu who have had new doors installed, all other buses will not be running.
Of that 18, 16 are owned by Queen Poto Transport. The majority of these buses serve customers outside of their routes, most notably, Yazaki.
In Savai’i, no bus has had a new door installed.
President of the Savaii Bus Association Le Laulu Mapesone told the Samoa Observer none of their buses are running today, tomorrow and possibly throughout the week.
“We’ve said in our public notice we don’t have any money to carry out what the government is asking us to do,” Le Laulu said.
The Government had ordered all bus operators to change the side of the door from right to left if their buses are to be used after yesterday. As an incentive, it offered them free registration for a year.
But Chairman of the Upolu Bus Association, Le Anapapa Laki changing doors was too costly and it would compromise the safety of their passengers. This is why bus operators are not happy, he said.
A meeting between bus owners in Upolu and Savai’i is scheduled tomorrow to discuss what their next step is.
Meanwhile, all bus licences expired yesterday.
“That’s what bus owners must realise,” said Chief Executive Officer of the Land Transport Authority. Leasi Galuvao.
Being granted a licence to operate a bus is not automatic, Leasi said.
“They need to re-apply,” he said.
If no application has been submitted by the required date, licences to serve a route will be granted to other applicants, he said.
Some of the applicants may be chosen from a standby list.
If left-side-doors are installed at a future date and a re-application for a licence is made, the LTA’s board would have to see if there are any routes left.
Bus owners in Savai’i say they cannot comply
with the LTA requirement to install new doors. They can’t afford it, they say.
Bus owners in Upolu say the same thing.
They say it takes $50,000 for a new door on timber buses and $80,000 for ready made ones.
They are asking Government for funds to do the job.
However, the LTA says there are no funds available.
“It’s very hard for us to believe them,” said Leasi of the bus owners’ figures.
It would appear they want Government to rebuild the whole structure of their buses, he said.
The $50,000 includes the $20,000 for re-locating the steering wheel from the left to the right side of the bus for safety, the owners say.
“That is a new addition,” said Leasi.
And it is not a requirement Government is asking for, he said.
The impact of having much fewer buses on the road is expected to be felt tomorrow when the country returns to normal business.
Samoa Chamber of Commerce came out in support of bus owners yesterday.
“We call for continued efforts to work together and urge the government to address the concerns of bus owners in a fair manner and to take into account the economic impacts if major disruptions to public transport is prolonged,” president, Sina Retzlaff-Lima, says in a release.
“The concern with the public having to enter and exit buses in the middle of the road was one of the first issues put forward to government when this ridiculous policy was first debated,” Mrs Retzlaff-Lima says.
“It has now become a reality and bus owners are faced with costs that they simply cannot finance in today’s economic environment.”
She criticised losses to business caused by the holidays Government has imposed to allow the country to switch to life driving on the left lane.
“Business are already faced with the inherent losses of a two-day holiday.
“In addition to that, bars and restaurants are also affected by the limitations to trading hours being imposed.
“Now with the disruptions to public transport in both Upolu and Savai’i starting Wednesday, there will be a drastic impact on businesses - because disruptions to public transport will definitely affect attendance of workers and the flow of customers.
“The costs and negative impacts just continue to build up which does become very frustrating and just adds to the already unfavourable enabling environment that Samoan businesses are forced to operate within.” Back
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