A passenger travelling on an Interlink ferry from Labasa to Suva has raised serious concerns about overcrowding and passenger safety on connecting bus services.
Speaking to fijivillage News, Samuela Tabakau, who was travelling with his three children, claims that the bus assigned to transport passengers from Labasa to Suva was overcrowded.
He says the bus was likely carrying the maximum number of passengers allowed, which should not happen on long-distance journeys as it affects comfort and safety.
Tabakau says the staff attempted to fit his children into available spaces as though they were luggage.
He adds that he was unable to properly see his children from his assigned seat and chose to stand instead.
Tabakau says that at Dreketi, he and his children were able to transfer to another bus that had proper seating.
He says his main concern is Interlink’s practice of overcrowding buses while restricting the number of services to Suva in a bid to maximise profits.
Tabakau says the company should be able to calculate passenger numbers in advance, particularly during peak travel periods, so the appropriate number of buses can be arranged.
He adds that it is unfair for passengers to be forced to sacrifice comfort and safety during busy travel periods.
In response to the claims, Interlink Shipping General Manager Adrial Prasad has denied the allegations, saying that buses adhere to standard carrying capacities.
He says buses are regularly checked at unannounced checkpoints conducted by the Land Transport Authority and the Police.
Prasad adds that the number of buses deployed is based on the number of passengers purchasing tickets, and if passenger numbers increase, additional buses are also arranged.
We have also sent questions to the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji regarding the issue.
