PMV owners losing money

BUS operators are expected to be hit hard by the restriction on the number of passengers they can carry, according to a research by the National Research Institute.
It recently released a study titled: “Potential implications and impacts of the declaration of the state of emergency on public utilities and public transport users in Papua New Guinea”.
It stated that owners of public transport “will pay more for running the service”. “This would impact on supplies of public transport in urban centres as well as rural transportation – from one province to another or from town to the village,” it said.
“Public transport is one of the essential services for many people, especially employees in the cities and towns.
“Public transport is very important for the survival of residents who don’t have private vehicles to move from one place to another.”
The national emergency order restricts the number of passengers registered public transport can carry at any one time.
The 25 to 30-seater buses are allowed to carry only 15.
All other public transport vehicles including ships may continue to operate if the number of passengers is five less than its licenced capacity.
Taxis are allowed only two passengers. All public transport providers must comply with the directive issued by the Controller David Manning.
The study said: “This implies that owners of public transport will sacrifice 50 per cent of their capacity to operate in the cities and towns.
“They will lose 50 per cent of their income, especially buses.
“The Government, in their stimulus package, did not mention anything about the small public transport operators who provide essential services for the public and, especially the working class and students.
“The Government should work with the Motor Vehicle Insurance Ltd to identify registered bus and taxi operators and provide some package for the operators.
“It should provide levies or concessions to the operators to carry less passengers through the stimulus package.”