Bus driver demands get thumbs down from users

Panama bus drivers,  threatening to strike to get higher wages when they become drivers for the new Metro transit service, are irresponsible say  transport users. 

Drivers' representative Alexis Miranda said on TV that they feel cheated and had been told during training they would be getting $700 to $800 a month, but the salary set by the operators of the news system, Mass Transit, SA, will be $480.

He also complained that they are being asked to provide work records, personal references and police recorda. These requirements,  he said,   had not been asked for previously.

David Ramirez, spokesman for the Movement October 23, a transport users’ group rejected the attitude as "irresponsible". "They are not cooperating in the modernization of transport." He said.
According to Ramirez, a salary of $ 700 is awarded to a professional who went through college.
He recommended a "filter" of drivers who work in the Metro Bus system.
"We need a new generation of drivers to be serious, responsible and who want to follow that profession," he said.
He also suggested that that the doors should be opened to allow women to drive the new buses because, they have fewer traffic accidents.