On February 10 the government is due to receive a new, and very hot, potato. The transport unions are going to request that the government provide them with a subsidy equal to the one that is given to the OMSA ?the government-run bus service. This RD$7.50 per passenger subsidy would cost the government another RD$1.5 million per day. According to the Conatra syndicate, OMSA gets the best deal and leaves the scraps for private operators organized under the CONATRA umbrella. As an alternative to the cash subsidy the union leaders say that they will accept, as an alternative, access to the routes that are currently the exclusive domain of OMSA, the metropolitan service. The CNTU union spokesman, Ramon Perez Figuereo, agreed and suggested that the transportation issues be handled by a technical committee of transport experts, since it is currently just a “bundle of patronage jobs.” He pointed out that a normal bus works with three people, but “the OMSA-operated unites use up to 10 people.” Ignacio Ditren, the OMSA director was not available for comment.