SANTO DOMINGO.- Several wounded, the windshields of several minibuses shattered and hundreds of commuters left standing in Santo Domingo province  and the National District was the result of this morning’s walkout by drivers of the union Fenatrano.

That union’s president, Juan Hubieres, who has been dubbed one of the country’s “owners” for his ability to stage violent strikes with impunity, demanded that the Government resume the delivery of subsidized diesel and that the Santo Domingo Metro’s (subway) feeder routes be assigned to them.

From 6 to 10 a.m. the main roads between the city and its suburbs was the scene of confrontations, as a Police agent shot a Fenatrano bus fare collector after he allegedly hurled stones at a minibus of the union Conatra, on the San Cristóbal route. Police said the bus driver and two passengers were also wounded.

Hubieres called the walkout "successful" because in his view it “paralyzed” more than 60 percent greater Santo Domingo’s commuter transport, and reiterated his demand that the Government resume the delivery of subsidized diesel.

He said in the last three months the 900,000 gallons assigned to Fenatrano’s buses had been already spent, and that it’s only 20 percent of the millions of gallons they use.

Last night, the three other “owners” of the country; Antonio Marte, Alfredo Pulinario Linares (Cambita)  and Ramón Perez Figueres, of the bus unions Conatra, Mochotrán and CNTU, met in the National Palace last night with president Leonel Fernandez, who said he was willing to look for a solution to the demand for the subsidy on fuel.