Bus Schedule: Heading to Arbitration
[Updated] This morning [May 12] Minister of Transport Terry Lister and BIU President Chris Furbert are holding a press conference to provide an update on a planned new bus schedule, and you can tune into the live video below.
As locals are well aware, there has been issues with the bus service lately, with Transport Minister Terry Lister saying the cuts in both the ferry and bus service were done with an aim to staying within the reduced budget.
Minister Lister previously said in the past few years when bus operators were sick or off work for any reason, the Department would call in staff and pay them overtime rates to cover the workload. He said with the recent budget reduction, the Transport Ministry made a decision not to pay overtime unless they “really, really had to.”
This lead to the cancellations, with the Department releasing daily lists of bus cancellations which seem to range from 5-10 per day.
BIU President Chris Furbert said that by not providing coverage when bus operators are out sick, the Minister is “punishing the public, he is punishing tourists, for saying if someone calls in sick , even if they have a doctor’s certificate, he will not cover their work, and that is morally wrong.”
The bus situation lead to negative publicity on the ‘Cruise log’ section of USA Today’s website, which ran an article entitled “Bermuda to limit cruise ship passengers on public buses”, which said, “The island nation of Bermuda appears to have had enough with visiting cruise ship passengers clogging its public buses.”
[Update 11:50am, webcast finished, the full 15 minute replay is available below]
Update 1:10pm: Transport Minister Terry Lister full statement is below:
Good morning,
Thank you for coming, and I would also like to thank Bermuda Industrial Union President Mr. Chris Furbert for joining me today.
For some time now, the Department of Public Transportation– or DPT – within the Ministry of Transport has been working on a new bus schedule for Bermuda.
Over the past ten years, we have held meetings with stakeholders including the bus operators and the BIU. The DPT also contracted the services of a consultant with expertise in designing public transportation schedules in different parts of the world.
Despite much progress being made – there are a few points on which, after some time, the Ministry and the BIU have agreed to disagree.
Let me emphasise that there is much that we do agree on concerning changes to the schedule.
However, despite numerous meetings, we have been unable to reach a mutually agreeable solution to finally get this new schedule in place.So, today I am joined by Mr. Furbert so that we can jointly announce that we have agreed to send the matter to arbitration.
Arbitration is the best way forward as both sides are compelled to accept the ruling of the arbitration panel and we will finally be able to move forward with a modernized, more efficient and cost effective bus schedule.
The last time the schedule was changed was in 1998
I don’t want to comment on specific changes to the schedule as none of us know what the final agreement will look like.
However, we in the Ministry feel what we have proposed is the most efficient, cost effective, and passenger friendly solution and are confident that the arbitration panel will agree.
We are now happy to take your questions.
Notice they sit there and attempt to present this as an ‘agreement’ to send the matter to arbitration. In another paper there’s even a picture of them shaking hands.
Why do they make it look like that? They obviously completely disagree on the matter.
What this actually is, is a demonstration that they have come to the conclusion that there is no way they will agree on the issue, and the only way it can get settled is by an expensive arbitration (paid for by the public).
It’s all the UBP’s fault. Jingus…you guys don’t get it?
There are 28 bus cancellations today.