Santiago.– The confrontation between the National Confederation of Transport Workers (CNTT) and the National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (Intrant) escalated to one of its most tense moments, after the president of the CNTT, Juan Marte, announced this Tuesday that he will file a lawsuit against the director of Intrant, Milton Morrison, before the Attorney General’s Office and the Superior Administrative Court (TSA), while also demanding that he publicly respond regarding the destination of millions of gallons of subsidized fuel intended for the transport sector.
During a press conference, Marte asserted that the organization he leads has not withdrawn “a single gallon” of the five million gallons of diesel that, he claimed, were allocated to the National Transport Workers Union (CNT).
In that sense, he demanded that Morrison explain to the country who has received that fuel.
“Let him tell the country where those five million gallons of diesel are. Whether a government official has them, whether transport leaders have them, or who has been withdrawing them. We have not received a single gallon,” he stated.
Submission before the Attorney General’s Office and the TSA announced
Juan Marte reported that he granted a 72-hour deadline for the director of Intrant to respond to his questions. If he fails to do so, he said he will proceed with two legal actions.
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The first will be presented to the Attorney General’s Office, with the objective of investigating the management of transport subsidies and the destination of public resources allocated for fuel.
The second will be filed before the Superior Administrative Court (TSA) to request that the Intrant be compelled to conduct a technical study on the actual cost of the fare, an evaluation that, as he maintained, has not been carried out for approximately 18 years.
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The driver union leader stated that drivers and users need clear rules that establish what the public transport fare should be, based on technical criteria and not on improvised decisions.
“Drivers don’t want confrontation, they want solutions”
The transport leader insisted that the CNTT is not demanding economic privileges, but rather transparency and responsible policies for the sector.
He asserted that the institution he presides over does not receive state subsidies, does not keep relatives on the public payroll, and does not depend on government resources for its operation.
Likewise, he questioned the proposal to provide fuel cards, arguing that the assigned amount would barely be enough to cover a few days of a driver’s work.
Intrant accused of intimidating transporters
Another of the most critical points of his intervention was directed against the operations recently carried out by the Intrant, which he described as acts of intimidation against the drivers.
Marte reported that inspectors carried out interventions accompanied by armed agents to pressure drivers regarding the collection of fares.
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“Drivers need a cost study, not operatives with long guns to intimidate them,” he stated.
He also assured that in Santiago, transporters will not accept pressure and warned that they will continue to defend their rights within the legal framework.
Questions meeting with Morrison
Juan Marte also revealed that he recently held a meeting with the director of Intrant together with a broad representation of the transport sector.
As explained, the only proposal made during that meeting was to request that the Intrant prepare a technical study on the cost of the fare to objectively determine what the rate paid by users should be.
However, he accused Morrison of subsequently using that meeting for media purposes and of misrepresenting the content of the conversations.
“We went to engage in dialogue, not to confront. We proposed solutions, but then another version of what happened was presented,” he maintained.
Lack of regulation on ticket prices denounced
For the leader of the CNTT, the current conflict is a consequence of the absence of a technical policy by the Intrant to determine the price of public transport.
He stated that the lack of an updated study has caused uncertainty among both drivers and passengers, generating conflicts every time the sector’s operational costs increase.
He indicated that, precisely, that will be one of the main arguments they will present before the Superior Administrative Court.
Juan Marte’s statements significantly escalate the confrontation between the CNTT and the director of Intrant, amidst the national debate over a possible readjustment in transport fares and the management of state subsidies destined for the sector.
While the transport organization demands transparency in the administration of resources and a technical review of the fare cost, it also warns that it will continue to defend the interests of thousands of organized drivers across the country through legal actions and mobilizations, if necessary.
With the 72-hour notice already underway, the conflict is now entering a judicial stage that could lead to investigations into the management of transport subsidies and an eventual review of the public transport fare-setting system in the Dominican Republic.
