[Auto/Moto] The Christmas exodus to the interior of the country begins

[EvKirito]

                                                            

 

 

At the kilometer 9 terminal the buses leave full of people and although Public Health and Intrant personnel try to prevent it, people do not pay attention.

 

 

On the eve of Christmas Eve, the main intercity bus terminals receive thousands of passengers seeking to travel to their towns.

 

From the first hours the demand for seats has increased. People board the vehicles without due distancing despite the demands of the authorities.

 

At the kilometer 9 terminal the buses leave full of people and although Public Health and Intrant personnel try to prevent it, people do not pay attention.

 

The drivers do little to comply with the distance imposed by the protocol and argue that if the units leave with only 70% of passengers as claimed, they would have losses.

 

People do not seem to care much about getting infected because in a tour of different terminals you can see the agglomeration of people.

 

Antonio Marte, president of Conatra, affirms that he fears a recurrence of COVID-19 because the distancing is not being respected.

 

In Caribe Tours the ticket office was full of passengers, as was the waiting room to board a bus, but the operations manager, Francisco Marmolejos, said that compared to last year to date the flow is lower.

 

Here there is more control with distancing and the protocol for both sanitation and approach is followed. Each bus only carries 70% of its capacity as established by the protocol.

 

Juan Marte, president of the National Confederation of Transport Workers (CNTT) said that towards the Cibao the number of passengers has increased and said that they maintain the same price of the passage.

 

He clarified that in urban transport the passenger is asked for five pesos more, but that it is optional and in the same way 10 pesos to the interurban, also at the will of the users to compensate a little for the operational deficit.

 

He indicated that from January the Government will have to sit down with the drivers to discuss a new rate.

 

William Pérez Figuereo, president of the Central National of Unified Transporters, said that this Christmas will be very bitter for the transport sector because in addition to the limitations imposed by the pandemic with physical distancing and protocol, drivers have to buy much more fuel expensive.

 

He considered that the restrictive measures imposed by the government directly affect the driver sector, but that they must be complied with for the health of the people.