Dear Editor,
I wish to report that I was verbally threatened by a Route 42 minibus driver after I refused to pay a fare that was arbitrarily increased without authorization. What occurred was that I entered the bus after the ‘tout’ said the bus was going ‘short and Grove.’ My destination was short; hence the fare should be $100. I exited the bus and paid. Seconds later after walking away from the Route 42 bus, I saw the bus pulled right next to me, very close to the pavement where I was walking, in an aggressive manner. After it stopped, the driver shouted “the next time you see this bus and $200 is the fare, don’t come in.” I told him that the next time you should tell me that the fare is $200. He did not listen. And when he drove off, I shouted “you never told me the fare was $200”.
This issue has been ongoing for some time. It involves not only the Route 42 buses but also those operating on Route 32. Drivers have been unilaterally increasing fares, overloading their buses, and playing loud music with explicit lyrics. Passengers often have to raise their voices to indicate their stops, and drivers respond with hostility when passengers refuse to pay the unauthorized fare increases.
I am appealing to both the public and the police not to ignore these threats. To the relevant authorities, please listen to commuters’ concerns and take action against the drivers who have issued these threats.
