Santiago.- The president of the National Central of Transport Workers (CNTT), Juan Marte, announced that starting next Monday, more than 37 public transport routes in the Cibao region will increase the fare price, while also warning of the start of a series of protests together with community organizations, demanding that drivers be incorporated into the transformation of the transport system and in response to the sustained increase in operating costs.
The fare price rate will be applied to urban, suburban, and interurban transport, between RD$ 5.10 and 25 pesos, due to the high operational costs that have had to be assumed in recent months, because of the high cost of fuel and the elevated costs of supplies such as oil, tires, among others.
The announcement was made during a candlelight vigil at the Plazoleta de la Información, in the area of the Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration, where transport union leaders denounced that the sector is going through a deep economic crisis.
Juan Marte stated that for years they have held conversations with the Government “at the highest level” so that traditional transporters could be part of the new mobility model, asserting that they never opposed the modernization of transport, but rather demanded the inclusion of thousands of heads of households who have provided that service for decades.
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“We are standard-bearers of modernity and transformation. The only thing we have asked is that the drivers be part of that process,” he expressed.
The leader maintained that in Santiago the number of drivers has decreased from 6,672 to nearly 4,500 and warned that the conflict will not end with the fare adjustment.
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“From now on, the fight goes beyond the increase. We are going to walk with the people, with the community members, and if we do not find an openness to dialogue, we will take to the streets,” he declared.
Marte explained that the fare increase will be applied not only on routes in the Cibao region, but also on some in the south of the country and in Greater Santo Domingo, because the CNTT brings together 163 urban, interurban, suburban, taxi, and school transport organizations.
During the activity, transport leader Francisco Hernández accused the Government of failing to keep the promises made to the transport sector and asserted that transport workers have been abandoned.
“The time has come for the people to wake up and claim their rights. We will be in the streets alongside the population because the Government has cast aside the transport workers,” he stated.
Meanwhile, leader Ambiorix Cepeda stated that the increase in fuel and spare parts prices has led many drivers to abandon their units due to the impossibility of covering operating costs.
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He indicated that such basic parts as tires and belts have multiplied in price in recent years, while drivers’ income remains stagnant, a situation that, according to him, makes it unsustainable to continue offering the service under current conditions.
Likewise, members of the CNTT also criticized the fuel price freeze policy and demanded a review of the taxes levied on fuels, considering that they directly affect transporters and, therefore, the population.
Transport organizations indicated that this sector is experiencing the worst years of its life, as they say the government has left it to its own devices.
