Take advantage of “Breeze Pass” to ease congestion at DHB – GM urges motorists

– says it will prepare persons for when new bridge comes on-stream

Commuters utilising the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) have been encouraged to sign up for Breeze Pass, which will not only reduce congestion leading to the crossing but also prepare them for the new infrastructure that will come on-stream.
General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC), Wayne Watson on Friday told Guyana Times that many persons are now utilising the service, owing to the advantage of having a separate lane during peak hours. It is also easier, to have a cashless form of payment that takes just seconds.
“When it was first initiated, there was some bit of resistance. But recently, we would have seen an increase. I rather suspect it was a result of us making one lane accessible between certain hours. What will happen is that once you are a Breeze Pass commuter, there is a special lane during peak hour traffic. We’re using this as a promotion to encourage all persons traversing the bridge to utilise this service,” Watson disclosed.

Breeze Pass allows for a continuous flow, especially on the eastern corridor, which is prone to traffic buildup. While some persons are still paying with cash, he urged them to make a switch, given the inevitability of such when the new Demerara River bridge is completed. Then, paying with cash will become a thing of the past as the country develops and embeds technological additions to daily services.
The GM underscored, “We will still have some persons who believe in just paying the dollar or they’re not technologically savvy or there is some resistance. But I just want to ensure that persons are aware that one must focus on the future and when the new river bridge comes into reality, the development, social activity, and business and commerce will grow exponentially.
“A person paying the toll with $5000 and waiting for change is not something that we would want to envision the end result of that. My encouragement to commuters is to start training yourself so that when the new bridge comes into functionality, you will already be aware of the tolling system that will be utilised by developed countries around the world. It will be something that you will readily embrace.”
Breeze Pass was introduced last year in collaboration with Mobile Money Guyana (MMG).
Persons can visit dhbcportal.ssi.gy to sign up for this service. Once an application is confirmed, an RFID tag will be placed on the vehicle. The toll fee will then be withdrawn from the MMG account when the vehicle transits the bridge.