Bus companies want subsidy

[NewsWhore]

The nation's largest bus companies, the ones that haul passengers over long distances, have asked the government to include them in the provision of subsidized diesel fuel. These eleven large companies are different from the transportation unions that originally benefited from the government subsidy. The Union of Bus Owners headed by Freddy Mendez, also seeks to benefit from the subsidy. Mendez says that the companies transport an average of 60,000 people per day. The companies, Caribe Tours, Metro, Transporte Espinal, Tamma, Compania Nacional de Autobuses, Marka, Rayano, Star Bus, Lim, FM Centro Bus and Perla Bus, want the same deal that the unions are getting. They are threatening to suspend services if they continue to be discriminated against. They are asking for a governmental subsidy on 50% of the one million gallons of diesel that they use each month. They also want to be a part of the feeder lines that bring passengers to the first Santo Domingo Metro line, scheduled for operation this year. There is a RD$35 peso difference between subsidized and non-subsidized diesel fuel. One of the beneficiaries of the diesel subsidy, Fenatrano union spokesman Juan Hubieres, said that he agreed with the requests made by the Union of Bus Owners.

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