Berbice bridge commuters happy with toll-free crossing

As of Friday, tolls on the Berbice River Bridge – along with the Demerara Harbour Bridge and Wismar/McKenzie Bridge – have been officially abolished, delivering financial relief to more than 50,000 daily commuters and representing approximately $3.5 billion in annual savings for the population.
The removal of the tolls across the Berbice River Bridge will see some vehicle operators saving $1900 every time they cross. This was another promise by President Irfaan Ali that is now fulfilled.
Many commuters took the opportunity to be the first to benefit from the new arrangement.
However, 30 minutes prior to the toll-free initiative taking effect, the bridge was closed to vehicular traffic. Deputy General Manager of the Berbice Bridge Company, Inc. Amernauth Singh explained that the closure was needed.
“Why we had to close for the half hour is to integrate the software system to capture all the information while printing zero receipts. Basically it is toll free for all vehicles, trucks, vessels that cover under the toll order. All the information that would have been captured when the pedestrians were paying to cross the bridge, all that information would still be captured. All the safety protocols would still remain the same. The wait limit for the bridge would still remain the same,” he explained.

Relief
Meanwhile, one hire car operator, Matthew Profit, who crosses daily, claims that he has already paid in excess of $7 million in tolls to the Berbice Bridge Company, and joined others in welcoming the initiative.
“I feel pleased about what the Government did because I spent over $7 million – over $7 million, by crossing the bridge every day. Every day I use the bridge, one and two times a day.”
Truck operator, Budnarine Deochand, explained that he doesn’t have to use the bridge daily and only does so when he has to take merchandise from one side of the river to the other. But he noted that it would have been quite expensive for truck operators who have to pass on that fee to the person or company they are hired by.
“We have some trucks, we have bigger ones, we have smaller ones. The smaller ones, it would be like $3000, $4000. The big ones will be $10,000, $30,000, $20,000 or so. Different trucks have different rates for it,” he recalled.
Kyler Rollins is a media worker who lives in region Five but works in Region Six. The savings, he told this publication, will be used vehicle maintenance.
“As a resident of Region Five and working in Region Six, this will definitely mean a lot to me because every day I am driving, I would pay $1900 to cross the bridge and now that the bridge will be toll-free, I wouldn’t be paying a cent. This would be beneficial, I would be able to use this money in other areas, in other aspects of life, like savings and car maintenance and so on.”
Rollins said he spent in excess of $45,000 monthly to cross the bridge. “Annually, over $500,000. I will be able to save now that this toll has been abolished,” he noted.

Other benefits
With the removal of the bridge toll, agriculture produce entering Georgetown from Region Six will be cheaper, so too will be construction material, agriculture equipment and other commodities entering Region Six. It would also reduce the cost for transportation for school children and university students.
The removal of the toll is also expected to see more persons from Region Six visiting Rosignol, which is a commercial hub, and vice versa – more consumers from Region Five visiting the commercial centres in Region Six. The tourism sector is also expected to see a boost in the two regions that the bridge connects.
One of the bridge company’s directors, Faizal Jaffarally, says the bridge company fully supports the move by the Government to remove the toll, which will ultimately allow more persons to utilise the bridge.
“There will be significant benefits for all those categories of vehicles using the bridge. Obviously, you will know how many buses normally charge $300 from Rosignol to New Amsterdam, because they had to pay a toll. And we hope with the toll-free crossing, commuters will now be able to benefit. And we hope that the minibus operators, taxi operators will pass on that saving to the people,” he said.

Public transportation response
However, hire car operators plying the New Amsterdam-Georgetown route have refused to drop their fares in the light of this development. The fares, which increased from $1500 to $2500 during COVID, never returned to pre-COVID levels.
Some drivers have been demanding $3000 after dark.
Despite operational costs now dropped by $1900 as a result of the toll-free bridge, those operators have refused to pass the benefits on to commuters, saying that the price for spare parts have increased.
However, buses plying the Number 56 bus route – New Amsterdam to Rosignol, have agreed to drop fares from $300 to $200 per passenger.
They have also expressed concern that with the bridge toll free, cars will begin taxiing persons across the bridge, which is likely to negatively impact their earnings.