Metro Bus woes continue, but no driver shortage

PASSENGER COMPLAINTS continue to roll in about Panama’s Metro Bus service, but there is no "shortage" of drivers.

According to Miguel Cardona manager of the Mi Bus company. the system  has 2,700 drivers, three drivers per bus, who rotate on schedule.

But user complaints about the “comfortable safe and speedy buses” point out that dripping air conditioning units make some seats unusable and timing is not one of the service's best selling points.
A recent videotaped investigation by La Prensa found it took 3 hours to get from 24 December to Via Espana, although sometimes it was a little faster. Many frustrated passengers took to exiting early to try to get to their work.
A published report reveals that the fire department has not checked the emergency fire extinguisher units and twice, panicking passengers smashed window to get out when smoke was seen inside buses. Memories are still fresh of the 18 people burned to death in a bus fire in 2006.
Stories have circulated about massive driver layoffs which, Cardona denies saying that at no time did the company fire 1000 to 2000 as reported. Some 100 operators have been let go for disciplinary problems among other things.
In March the Transport Workers Union reported that the number of redundancies Metro Bus operators amounted to over a thousand.
Union leaders, said that in late February 900 drivers were laid off, but the figure continued to rise in the first days of March.