By Yusupha Jobe
The Deputy General Manager of Gambia Transport Service cooperation GTSC has revealed that the rejection into Senegal of buses owned by his company have started for the past 6 months.
“To most Gambians the denial of buses to enter Senegal has just come into surface but it has been going for the past six months. I will tell you how it all started. We had two buses entering Senegal one in the morning one in the evening due to the demand, if there was no such demand of service we would have not go to Senegal because of cost on fuel. And once we crossed into Senegal we have to constantly negotiate with the security to allow the passing of our buses.” He said
Ramond Ceesay in an interview with the Voice said the GTSC management had in the past traveled to Senegal in order to negotiate and resolve the issue with their transport trade unions including the director of road planning before it gets out of hand adding which the Senegalese trade union say can only allow one bus from the Gambia but not two.
“We have traveled to Senegal, met with all their concern authorities and negotiated with them long before the problem of denying our buses into Senegal reach this level because we were suffering at the time as a national transport company due what they say can allow only one bus from the Gambia but not two. But throughout our discussions and I will quote what they told us is that, “You people the GPTC accord signed in 2004 was null and void and we can even deny the entry all your buses and this are their trade union and not the government”. He said
He said the Gambia transport union is aware of what the unfortunate practices taken by their Senegalese trade unionist of denying their buses entre Senegal.
“The Senegalese transport trade union cannot take us as fools; we know all what they are doing to our buses. But we cannot say what will happened in the next two weeks time our hopes are to see the resolve of the situation since the two Government have taken step on the issue.” He said
The issue has come into surface after two Gambia buses belonging to the transport service cooperation has being borne entry to Senegal by the Senegalese transport trade union which has resulted to one passenger being injured.
