BLAME YOURSELVES!
That’s veteran transport operator Judy Forde’s take on the planned withdrawal of a Government fuel concession to route taxis and minibus operators from April 1.
She contended that if the operators had taken up an offer from Esso to establish their own petrol dealership, they would be not be affected now by losing the fuel waiver as well as being under threat of losing the excise tax waiver, which is tied to the use of the Transport Board’s pump.
Forde, the former vice- president of the Association of Private Transport Operators (APTO), revealed an offer had been made by Esso in 2010 and remained on the table until January 2013, to build two petrol stations equipped with pumps and tanks, thereby giving independence to private operators and the industry.
“Had the offer been taken, the industry would be getting the same 21 cents or thereabout per litre that the gas stations get between purchasing and selling at the pump, because they would be the suppliers of their own diesel and owners of the stations.
