The New northern bus runs went into effect on Sunday and while it might not have made the news - Venus bus line did try to take a stand by mounting a one - bus - line protest on Monday morning.
That protest has continued in a sense, because Venus's ownership has decided not to take up any of the eight runs it was granted under the new schedule.
Owner Froylan Gilharry says he's been cheated out of runs he had kept for decades - and the new runs are money-losers, not makers.
So, he today went to the court asking for judicial review of the new regime -and that leave was granted by Justice Oswell Legall. Here's what Gilharry's attorney Fred Lumor told us outside the courtroom:…
Fred Lumor, Attorney
"What we notice is that all the peak hours that Mr. Gilharry use to run for over 30 years have all been taken away and given to bus owners from Orange Walk and other places. This virtually according to Mr. Gilharry will force him to close down, so we have applied to the court for permission to apply for judiciary review of the decision, so the judge will decide on Monday whether to suspend what they call the new schedules until Mr. Gilharry's complaint have been heard."
Jules Vasquez
"Why should he be entitled to those runs?"
Fred Lumor, Attorney
"That is a question of law; let me try to explain it in a lay man's language. When you are been operating under a license and the license is being renewed regularly over a period of 30 years, if there is any reason why it cannot be continued you need to give those reasons to him. Let him respond and then you can make a decision and give him the reasons why the routes that he have been running for years can no longer be given to him because it have been crystalize to what we call a right."
The judicial review hearing has been set for 9:30 on July 21st, and the second application for a stay is to be heard next week Monday.
But Gilharry and his workers continue to be held in abeyance. They are not using the runs and Gilharry told us why today:…
Jules Vasquez
"Since Sunday these new runs were to take effect. You haven't taken them up. How many runs are they?"
Froylan Gilharry, bus owner
"8 runs."
Reporter
"You decided not to do any of those runs and you are not doing any of those runs as is. How are your employees or the people who drive the busses and the conductors are coping with this."
Froylan Gilharry
"It just too bad, they are out of jobs right now."
Jules Vasquez
"How many people are we talking about?"
Froylan Gilharry
"We are talking about 54 people; with families, we are talking about 104 but some have 4-5 kids, the least have about two kids, so you are talking about some 200 people that will have some problems."
Jules Vasquez
"You think the other northern bus lines maybe got a better deal, maybe got some of the lucrative runs..."
Froylan Gilharry
"Definitely, if you see the papers; let's say the Phillip Bus Line - they got 25 runs, the excuse is that they divide it into the family. My bus line is a family company that 8 people own."
Jules Vasquez
"Mr. Froylan I've been in the news business for 17 years and I've never known you to be satisfied with any arrangement."
Froylan Gilharry
"I don't know what arrangement."
Jules Vasquez
"Throughout my journalistic history I have always known that you are complaining about whatever runs you get - it's not sufficient or it's the wrong runs or something. I have never known you to be satisfied, you are aware of this?"
Froylan Gilharry
"I think you are making a mistake."
Jules Vasquez
"Were you satisfied at any period? Just tell me."
Froylan Gilharry
"Look, in the different governments - one or another, there have always been a lot of problems. Bus business is one of the biggest problems, I am sorry I went into busses. The problem is that it becomes a cancer. Once it gets into your blood it doesn't come out so easy, that's the only thing. But I try to live with it."
We wait for the results of next week's hearing…
