Some minibus operators who ply the Mahdia and Lethem routes were forced to halt their services until the weather pattern and the state of the road improves. The road, according to the operators, is almost impassible as a result of the persistent heavy rainfalls.
The present condition of the Linden to Lethem road which bus operators are forced to traverse seeking their daily bread
On Monday, minibus owner Calvin Drakes told Guyana Times that his driver was forced to park the bus because the road had become worse over the past few days.
“The truth is, he can’t make a trip for now at all…if you see what is going on the trail. It’s terrifying and ridiculous at the same time. I just hoping and praying for some improvement in the weather so that we can make a trip soon because we both depend on this for our livelihood,” he said.
This was the case with at least four other operators who said they cannot continue to operate given the circumstances.
In an invited comment on the issue Monday, Mayor of Mahdia David Adams said there have been no improvements in the condition of the road and although the rehabilitation of the road does not fall under his council, no works can be done due to the persistent rainfall.
Adams last week explained that during the rainy season, some attention needed to be paid to the trail between Mahdia and Mabura which is in dire need of repair works.
He noted, however, that there are no plans in place for such rehabilitation works by the council. “Getting in is very difficult and some works have to be done in the short term to offer relief to those traversing,” he had said.
The minibus operators since last week have complained bitterly of the deteriorating condition of the trail which they are forced to use to transport passengers and goods as a means of earning their daily bread.
The bus operators who had reached out to this publication described the trail as a “death trap” and bashed the Public Infrastructure Ministry for paying zero interest in conducting long-term repairs to that trail which is the only access to those areas.
The trail has been in a deteriorated state for years and worsens during the rainy seasons after which minor substandard repairs are done on certain patches and the problem continues to recur.
Route 72 minibus drivers said that they were forced to park their buses due to the condition of the road since the risk of making a trip is way more than its gains.
They called on the Government to put measures in place for urgent and long-term repairs and maintenance of the road.
The drivers said they are suffering since they were forced to use the road in the present state as best as they can in getting passengers into and out of Mahdia just for an income to take care of their needs.
They described the situation as unacceptable and called on Government through the Ministry of Public Infrastructure to come up with a plan to commence repairs to the road soon.
Meanwhile, it was recently announced by the Public Infrastructure Ministry that sections of the damaged road in Mahdia were being repaired after the recent flash flooding. The bridge at Red and White, which had been washed away, was replaced by wooden planks until those works are executed.
Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson had told this publication that the pathway was opened for vehicular traffic on both lanes. Efforts to obtain a comment from him on Monday on this issue proved futile.
