OMSA, the public transport service, put 250 vehicles into service yesterday, after receiving a shipment of fuels that included 20,000 gallons of gasoil for use in Santo Domingo and 10,000 gallons more for Santiago.
Ignacio Ditren, OMSA?s newly appointed director, said he was working to get most of the organization?s vehicles back on the road, and hoped to maintain the fare at RD$5.
Diogenes Castillo, the transport service?s director during the Mejia administration, said that many buses were removed from service because they lacked permits from the new government administration, not because of a lack of resources. The situation resulted in a dearth of transportation options for those relying on the public service in the capital city.
At his swearing-in ceremony yesterday at the Presidential Palace, Ditren thanked Castillo for his cooperation during the government interim and vowed to treat the outgoing official?s employees with respect. While Ditren did not say whether there would be mass firings at OMSA, he informed that the personnel would definitely be evaluated. ?It?s likely that everyone who works there and justifies their position will not have to be removed. But there are surely many who earn a salary without actually working,? said Ditren. When he held the same post four years ago, the service employed a staff of 2,800, a number which has since jumped to approximately 6,000.
According to Ditren, mechanics from Mercedes-Benz would be arriving presently to examine the fleet?s vehicles that are broken down. The number of units that would return to the streets will depend on the condition of the vehicles in OMSA?s garages, said Ditren. He rejected the notion, however, that any vehicles would be imported to bolster the service?s fleet.