Gambia’s transport company bemoans denial of Gambian buses by Senegalese transport union
Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - Seedy Kanyi, general manager of the Gambia Transport Service Company (GTSC), Tuesday reacted to the wrangling between his company and the Senegalese transport union after two of its buses were denied entry into Senegalese territory on Sunday and Monday.
Speaking to PANA here, Kanyi said the decision by the Senegalese transport union did not only cause financial losses to his company but also disrupted the needed services to its teeming customers.
He said denying Gambian vehicles and allowing Malian and Mauritanians vehicle was nothing more than a slap in the face.
"What is more disturbing on our part is why Senegalese authorities are allowing Malian and Mauritanian vehicles to enter freely in Senegal and not allowing Gambian vehicles. This is an unfair treatment on our part as far as the various protocols that allow free movement of goods and services between countries of the sub-region are concerned," Kanyi said.
According to him, his company had been plying one bus to Senegal daily until the governments of Gambia and Senegal signed an agreement recently that allowed the free movement of goods and services between the two countries.
He referred to the ECOWAS protocol on free movement of goods and services that was signed since 1975, saying it also guaranteed his company to transport goods and services in and out of Senegal without any hurdles.
Kanyi revealed that GTSC had been sending only one bus to Senegal until after the signing of an agreement between Gambia and Senegal when the company found it befitting to add one more fleet to be plying between Banjul and Dakar.
“To me, it is very illogical on the part of the Senegalese authorities to block Gambian buses from entering their territory as far as the protocols that allow the free movement of goods and services are concerned," Kanyi observed.
Quizzed on why the move from the Senegalese authorities, Kanyi said it could have been attributed to the high volume of customers the company was registering against its competitors in Senegal.
He said GTSC provided better services and more comforting to customers coupled with reasonable fare tariffs than others in the market.
"This situation may be triggered by the volume of customers we are receiving. We provide better services with comfort and reasonable fares compared to our competitors and certainly with increase in the number of fleets we started providing; this maybe the reason why we witness this unfortunate situation," Kanyi told PANA.
He disclosed that the management of GTSC had since engaged the relevant authorities on the ground, including the ministry of transport, in their efforts to address the situation, revealing that the Senegalese ambassador to The Gambia was also in the picture doing his bit to improve the situation.
Kanyi said it was the desire of GTSC to be plying four buses from Banjul to Dakar daily as of this year, arguing that this plan might be hampered if the situation was not addressed.
.-0- PANA MSS/RA 14Jan2020
