Ugly scenes as bus service halted

[NewsWhore]

Long lines, long waits and violent outbursts affected public transport in Santo Domingo yesterday. Press reports say that 17 people were reported injured as a result of clashes between two bus companies that seek to maintain their route monopolies. As a result, The conflict that has led to the rising tensions and stoppages in service is between two of the country's largest transport companies, Fenatrano and Conatra. Hoy newspaper reports that the problem is that they are fighting over control of a bus route between San Pedro de Macoris and Boca Chica. In various parts of San Pedro there were clashes between drivers, and in one case a fare collector was shot and taken to a hospital. Hoy also reports that a woman was hit in the head by a rock as she rode on a bus from Villa Mella to Villa Consuelo in Santo Domingo. Fenatrano leader Juan Hubieres was quoted in Hoy as saying that Office for Transport Reorganization (OPRET) director Diandino Pena was trying to undermine a contract signed earlier in the week that clarifies that Conatra would only have control of two bus stops between San Pedro and Boca Chica. Diario Libre reported that Diandino Pena met separately with Juan Hubieres and Conatra head Antonio Marte and agreed to change things back to the way they were before the conflict began. Pena annulled resolutions 098-06 and 099-06, and resolution 057-05 came in effect, specifying that buses going from Santo Domingo to the eastern part of the country can makes stops, but buses coming from the east (Higuey, Hato Mayor, El Seybo, La Romana, Miches) cannot make stops along the way. Hubieres has lifted the bus stoppage, so service should be back to normal, but Diandino Pena says he doesn't know what it would take to get Hubieres and Conatra president Antonio Marte together for a meeting.
Hoy newspaper's editorial criticizes that the government has allowed the bus companies to again get away with imposing the "law of the jungle."

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