Numerous Bus Cancellations

April 18, 2011

[Updated] Affecting routes both east and west, list of bus cancellations is being mailed out by the Department of Public Transportation today [Apr.18]. The flyers list off a number of routes and say, “Dear Valued Passenger: Due to extenuating circumstances, the following buses will not run today, Monday April 18, 2011″.

Update Apr 19: Bus cancellations continue today. The Ministry of Transport has not yet responded to our queries sent yesterday and today, however unofficially we have been made to understand the cancellations may possibly be due to a combination of things including budget cuts, scheduling conflicts with tourism sightseeing bus tours, and lack of overtime pay for operators restricting the schedule.

April 18th cancellations:

bus April 18, 20111

April 18, 2011cont..1

April 19th cancellations:

april 19 bus cancel;

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Comments (22)

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  1. Ring Master says:

    In 2007 Bermuda was promised free buses and ferries. Why are they now being taken away if cost was no consideration in 2007 of providing the service? Did the PLP Government lie to the people of Bermuda?

    • BDA says:

      dont forget free tuition at Bermuda College as well

    • Scott says:

      yes they lied, or they didn’t do their basic homework.

      Anyone that honestly thought they’d get free bus service with zero consequences is either stupidly naive or has absolutely no common sense (and that’s the PC term for it).

    • the truth shall set you free says:

      Anyone with a basic understanding of economics would know that Government couldn’t sustain a ‘free’ Bus service. The costs are simply transferred elsewhere; look at all the other taxes that have risen lately. All this free, free, free BS was an election ploy, because the PLP otherwise had no platform to stand on in 2007 beyond spouting off a bunch of racial statements the plantation comment.

      So, my question is, when are the people of this island going to take off the blinders and see that you’ve been duped. Everything under the sun is being cut…. except your MP’s salary. While we’re struggling to put food on the table and some of us aren’t even employed or able to afford our BELCO bill, your MP is living fat and grand on 168,000, GP vehicles used for personal errands at times with gas paid for by the taxpayer, and other perks.

      ‘We have to deceive you’….again and again………….and again.

    • Hudson says:

      They did one of two things:

      a) they lied through their teeth, knowing that this could never survive post election for any meaningful amount of time

      or

      b) they once again showed their utter incompetence and have missed the basic fact that if nobody is paying, then there is no revenue to support the service and we all loose!

      What a joke most of them are.. and the sad part? The very people waiting for the next bus to arrive due to this total mismanagement, will be the same people checking the box next to PLP, like somehow re-electing them will make it all better. How long will it take before people will realise that you keep hitting your head against the wall, it will keep hurting. SMDH.

  2. KMHBermuda says:

    If they keep this crap up, they won’t be getting ANY ‘continued support’!!!

    • LOL (original) says:

      Heard that before nothing chaged then nothing will change now.

      LOL

  3. Cd says:

    Define extenuating circumstances?

    Basically they were all doing their second jobs and couldn’t make the runs. Caaaants

  4. We've been busted ! says:

    Those cruise ship passengers on the news tonight were not happy campers. Thanks to this , we’ve been tarred as a 3rd world country and they WILL spread the word.

    And thankfully ,they don’t even know about our half a$$ed gov’t yet ! haha

    • PEPPER says:

      Well we have paula to thank for the mess we are in……Eugene was a man to be admired, she has destroyed this Island by letting Brown get away with his pay to play crap…..and now we have to suffer because she allowed it to happen…. shame on you Paula you have taken us to a third worl country.

  5. duh says:

    What kind of management is really going on @ PTB? It is as if they didn’t know summer was coming, masses of toursits were coming and half the buses were out of service… and its as if they didn’t know before today that numerous buses would be out of service… is a change of leadership needed there? Is the transport minister accountable? This is unnacceptable… imagine a private enterprise being run like this… it would cease to exist with the quickness!

  6. crazytalk says:

    I think the PLP govt has proven without any doubt that it is incompetent.

    Not even close to basic competence.

    • sandgrownan says:

      been saying it for years, the thing is, the people of Bermuda got exactly what they voted for and deserved.

  7. Don't care what he says:

    Not to worry. The bus service will soon be back to normal – driven by foreigners who stay off the weed and show up for work. Its the only way forward really and it WILL happen.

    Either that or no bus service.

    • You said it! says:

      You are so right! The Union runs this island – if they say “no buses” – there will be no buses. We know the Govt won’t stand up and do anything about it. Sure there are a bunch of buses off the road right now for maintenance – problem is the lazy azz that is supposed to fix them didn’t show up to work today or he’s at his 2nd job drunk driving a ferry …oops, forgot, we don’t actually use our ferries any more.

      Stupidity at it’s finest.

  8. Bermudian says:

    Glad I never have to use either of them.

  9. Terry says:

    This topic is a great poll for Government.

    RIP Bermuda

  10. Shame says:

    its a crying shame that everybody on this post is pointing fingers at the actual drivers and not the managers at marine and ports for the ferries and ptb for the buses…the ppl who actually make these decisions

    • crazytalk says:

      When listing the ‘ppl who make these decisions’ you appear to have left the unions and the government off the list.

      Four years ago they were promising “free public transport for all”. An election promise (i.e. a complete lie). Now we have ferries cancelled because they can’t afford fuel, and buses cancelled because they can’t pay the drivers.

  11. Uncle Ruckus says:

    Damnnnn might as well not even have a bus service. It’s always something in Bermuda.

  12. Weldon Wade says:

    I have a story for you guys.

    When I moved to St. George in August of 2009 I picked up a used Yamaha Axis off emoo for basic trasportation. For the mostpart, I would ride down to the wharf and take the ferry to the city and if I needed to hang around, I’d toss it on the ferry using a cycle token or a ticket. This worked out very well until the winter when the Senator of the day announced the shutdown of the service with no alternative i.e. pickup at Grotto Bay or Coney Island area. Problem being ridership and the rough seas heading through the cut and around the fort. Guys, on some mornings the ferry would fly! People would scream and gasp. If I didn’t tie my scooter down extra tight it would fall over and get tossed. Happy that it was an inexpensive used scooter, believe me. So, ferry service cancelled… off to Cycle Care for a brand new scooter. Haven’t been on the ferry since.

    VS 150 holds 5 litres of fuel. 22 kilometers each way. Did all the math and it works out to be $2.77 round trip roughly. Sure, there’s wear and tear and extra bits needed, not to mention rain, wind and the causeway closing. But I get free parking, pure storage in my bin and under the seat and I can, obviously, come and go as I please – no waiting around, cancellations or delays, industrial strike or dealing with characters on the bus or ferry. I can nip. Oh yeah, I can also tow and carry all my dive gear on it. Downsides, I got a speeding ticket on Saturday, 58k, and I’ve had a flat tyre and have had a few close calls. Overall though, scooter for the win!

  13. Watching! says:

    And in the end, they will get another 5years! Today the woe is simply based on race, read and weep Bermuda as it will get worse! Sometimes you get what you wish for!