SANTO DOMINGO.- Hundreds of drivers on Tuesday said Transit Reform Office (Opret) director Diandino Peña would be responsible for the regrettable confrontations that could occur on the Metro’s feeders routes, when it begins operations on Thursday.

Oscar de Jesus Francisco and Fermín Lopez, president and vice president of the union Fentrauni, said Peña ignores, excludes and imposes his will over drivers who’ve  provided service to the public for more than 30 years in the Metro’s feeder routes.

“Diandino Peña must think well about what he’s going to do, and before putting the buses for the feeder routes in operation he must first meet with the affected drivers to seek solution in this conflict and we warn it will cause unpredictable and regrettable actions, at which we don’t want to arrive.”

Francisco and Lopez noted that they have staged marches, pickets and vigils aimed at getting the Opret director to meet with the leaders of the major bus unions, to find a solution for the drivers who’ll be displaced by the Metro, but always ignores them.

On Peña’s affirmations that the Government will manage the buses for the feeder routes because the public transport vehicles aren’t in conditions to do so, they warned the Opret chief to avoid colliding with the drivers and insisted on meeting with him.

“The Government handles a plan against Fentrauni affiliates and other passenger transport organizations, and Opret just ordered the Metropolitan Transit Authority agents to detain the vehicles that don’t have the registry seal on their doors,” the said.

They said Peña  is “insensible, discourteous and arrogant, for having refused to sit down to have a discussion with the transporters who’ll be affected by the Metro’s start of operations, without taking into account the years of work on these feeder routes.”