Keith Woolford Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Bus (Diablos) Drivers Suspend Service for Government-Imposed Sanctions Bus drivers partially suspended their service in protest against the government's announcement of new fines and cancellation of licenses for bad driving practices. The workers of the transport system also grouped together to protest against the decision announced by President Juan Carlos Varela as part of the Urban Mobilization Plan. Executive Decree 273 states that any person who insists on providing irregularly transportation service shall be punished with fines of between 1,000 and 5,000 dollars and the suspension of the driver's license. The regulation, which is in effect from today, will be applicable for those who are caught using a vehicle not authorized by the Panama Transit and Transport Authority (ATTP), buses with incompatibility in the Vehicle Registry Office and those that were compensated by the State. Several units of the area crowded in the vicinity of the Rommel Fernández Stadium, in Juan Díaz, to organize a caravan towards the President’s Office. However, they were retracted by agents of the National Police. Transportation manager for the Pacora sector Idaira De León said that the government's decision was inconsistent, affecting the economy of the transport drivers. She added that this administration has no intention to renew temporary permits and certificates of operation expired, so they demand a response in order to continue providing the collective service to passengers. "We have been showing copies of the temporary permits of the buses that have not been renewed, we depend on our transportation, that is our job," said the leader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted October 19, 2017 Moderators Share Posted October 19, 2017 Quote Crackdown on diablos rojos and pirate buses Posted on October 17, 2017 in Panama President Varela Post Views: 287 PANAMA may finally be seeing the end of the noise and air polluting “Diablos Rojos “ (retired US school buses) that continue to appear on the streets in spite of multi-million dollar compensation payments by the government. In a decree published in the Public Gazette on Monday, Oct 16, The Transit Authority (ATTT) announced tough new the sanctions against unlicensed diablos rojos ” and pirate buses and President Juan Carlos Varela took time out to confirm their departure. Providing public transport in an unauthorized vehicle will mean a $!.000 fine and license suspension for six months for the first offense $2,500 and a 1-year suspension on the second; $5,000 and license cancellation for a third offense. An additional fine of $5,000 is added for “incompatibility of the parties with respect to vehicle registration.” Sanctions were also updated for off-route (pirate) services. Drivers will receive a fine of $1,000 and license suspension for 6 months the first time; a fine of $1,750 and suspension for one year the second; and a fine of $ 2,750 and suspension for 2 years the third time. In addition, 20 demerit points will be awarded for each occasion and the driver will have to attend seminars and talks. President s Varela said on Monday, Oct 16, that the diablos rojos do not have to be on the streets because since 2013 the state has invested more than $90 million to get them out of circulation. “From tomorrow the authorities will start operations, to enforce the rules and to remove the diablos rojos that are offering the transport service without a certificate of operation,” the president emphasized. More wagons Varela also announced the acquisition of 70 new subway wagons, of which 12 have already arrived and the rest will go into operation in January 2018, to double the current capacity of the Metro. Other moves to improve public transport will be the purchase of 273 new buses to strengthen the frequency of Metro Buses. Starting in November, 203 large buses will begin circulating and, in March 2018, 73 medium buses. http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/crackdown-diablos-rojos-pirate-buses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted October 19, 2017 Moderators Share Posted October 19, 2017 Quote Crackdown on pirate buses expands Posted on October 18, 2017 in Panama Post Views: 258 AS DRIVERS of Diablos Rojos and Verdes style buses, (second hand US school vehicles ) continued to denounce the crackdown on their unlicensed activities Transport Authority (ATTT) inspectors and National Police continued to apply the new regulations introduced by Executive Decree on Monday Oct. 16. By noon on Wednesday, eight vehicles without operating licenses were towed. Under the new rules, the drivers will also face a $1,000 fine and six month’s license suspension for the first offense. A second offense would see a $2,500 fine and 12 month’s license suspension. Slow learners would be hit with a $5,000 fine and loss of license for a third offense. The passengers on the ticketed buses were transferred to Metro Buses to take them to their destinations. Several of the towed vehicles were on the list of those who had been compensated with at least $25,000 by the government or were in breach of Traffic Regulations, in matters of security and with outstanding fines. http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/crackdown-pirate-buses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted October 22, 2017 Moderators Share Posted October 22, 2017 Quote Chaos Tuesday for pirate bus users Posted on October 17, 2017 in Panama Stadium standoff Post Views: 388 HUNDREDS of users of “pirate” transport found themselves stranded on Tuesday morning October 17 as Transit police moved into action following the introduction of tough new sanctions aimed at driving unlicensed buses from Panama City. Inspectors of the Transit Authority (ATTT) prevented a group of carriers from making a caravan from the Rommel Fernández stadium to the Presidencia, a day after President Juan Carlos Varela announced an increase in fines and license suspensions for illegal operators. A fleet of recycled US school buses known as “green devils” arrived near the stadium and the Roberto Durán gymnasium at 5:00 a.m. to form a protest caravan but were prevented from leaving. The sanctions announced by Varela range from $1,500 to $5,000 for providing transport service without operating certificates. The sanctions were published Monday in the Official Gazette. After preventing the buses from mobilizing in a caravan, the Transit Operations Directorate and ATTT inspectors checked the documents of each of the drivers. At several bus stops in Panama, long lines of people were waiting for the “pirates” and complaining of the lack of Metro buses. After 6:45 a.m., some “pirate buses”, especially those of the coaster type began to transport the passengers reports La Prensa. Meanwhile, the deputy minister of Security, Jonathan del Rosario, pointed out that so far this year 40 road accidents involving unlicensed buses have been registered. http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/chaos-tuesday-pirate-bus-users Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Woolford Posted October 25, 2017 Author Share Posted October 25, 2017 Bus Drivers and Taxistas Attempt Nation Wide Strike Public transport has been affected in at least 5 provinces by this strike. Government agencies stepped in and used their transporters to help get people moving. Anti-riot squad officers cleared streets and roadways of strikers in Panama Oeste and Santiago and vehicles were towed. The Government communicated yesterday the call to strike was unjustified and that disruptions to the transportation system will not be tolerated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted October 26, 2017 Moderators Share Posted October 26, 2017 Quote Mixed results from unfocused transport strike Posted on October 25, 2017 in Panama Post Views: 116 THE TRANSPORT strike called by the National Chamber of Transport (Canatra) for Wednesday, October 23, barely affected the metropolitan area of Panama other than some employers missing workers from outside of the city with bus services disrupted in Herrera, Coclé, Colón and Veraguas. “Uber out! Uber out!” chanted carriers, on the Inter-American highway (at La Pesa and Vista Alegre). Carriers had a mixed bag of unfocused demands for the Government ranging from the abolition of technology platforms, alternative transport, no circulation of the Metro Bus in Colón and the suspension of new traffic permits. On the Inter-American highway, anti-riot agents were transferred from the National Police to prevent actions to hamper free transit in the districts of Arraiján and La Chorrera provided by State entities like Sinaproc. http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/mixed-results-unfocused-transport-strike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted May 28, 2018 Moderators Share Posted May 28, 2018 Quote Pirate buses undeterred by fines up to $5,000 Posted on May 27, 2018 in Panama Post Views: 67 With fines for operating pirate (illegal) buses now reaching up to $5,000 for repeat offenses, Panama’ Transit Authority (ATTT) is still fighting what appears to be a losing battle. The authority claims it is a problem inherited from the previous administration. In January 2014, an indefinite extension for the operation of the illegal buses was approved on the recommendation of the Communications and Transportation Commission of the National Assembly as the Metro bus service was being phased in and frequency of service improved Julio González, ATTT director, said that “we are combating informal transport according to Decree 273 of October 13, 2017, that has toughened the sanctions, for piracy, which took it from $150 to 1,000 dollars the first time and with recidivism that can reach up to $5,000 with cancellation of the license of the citizen who is exercising this type of activity “. He told El Siglo that “we very clearly established that we would first fight the school buses (diablos rojos) devils that did not have operating certificates and, many of these vehicles have been removed and that those that are circulating today in they only do it, because they have a certificate of operation and they are those of the Cooperativa San Cristóbal de Chepo”. He said that after the diablos rojos they “ went against the ‘refrigerator’ buses, so called because they are long and white These have been largely removed and those who are still seen will be penalized In the next few days moves against another type of pirate bus, which has been involved in many traffic accidents, will be introduced. http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/pirate-buses-undeterred-by-fines-up-to-5000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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