By GARY DARMANIE Thursday, September 2 2010

Thirty-eight new bus routes were opened up Monday, with the use of 85 buses and with the employ of 200 new bus drivers.

Most of the routes, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Works and Transport, will connect rural communities with the major business centres as well as schools in the various districts.

With the new bus routes implementation, a total of 20,936 additional seats will be provided.

In a release yesterday, the ministry outlined several areas that are to receive the additional public transport. These areas include transport from Port-of-Spain to Bye-Pass Road, Arima, Piarco, Oropune Village, Wallerfield and Tunapuna amongst other areas in the East.

In Central, buses will be available from Chaguanas, Mamoral, Monroe Road, Felicity, Freeport and Chickland.

In South Trinidad, buses will be available from San Fernando, Couva, Plaisance Park, Quinam, Siparia, Fyzabad, Barrackpore, Princess Town and several parts of Penal.

Further South, buses will travel from Point Fortin and will be available to commuters in areas including Granville, La Brea, Buenos Ayres, Chatham South, and Salazar Trace.

The release indicated that emphasis will be placed on utilising the 45-seater buses on the Port of Spain-San Fernando route, commencing Monday.

Also, the buses currently being used on the North-South route will now be assigned to the East-West Corridor.