Ministry: Shipping Company Error Caused Delay
[Updated] Newly-appointed Transport Minister Walter Roban today [June 21] refuted claims made by Shadow Transport Minister Pat Gordon-Pamplin that there were systemic problems at the Department of Public Transportation [DPT].
Offcials confirmed today there are actually a total of 42 buses out of service, after announcing yesterday that there might be bus service interruptions as 18 buses are out of service waiting for new tires
The delay in receiving 300 bus tires was a result of an error by the shipping company that sent them to Philipsburg, St. Maarten instead of Philadelphia in the United States, the Transport Ministry said.
“The tires were expected in Bermuda on May 25th but had to be rerouted from St. Maarten to Philadelphia and on to Bermuda where they are expected to arrive on July 5th. However, once the problem of the misrouted shipment was discovered an emergency shipment of nearly 100 tires was ordered to resolve the situation,” explained a Ministry spokesperson.
Last night Ms Gordon-Pamplin said: “News that Bermuda’s bus fleet is hobbled by a lack of spare tires raises one more question about the Government’s ability to mind the store.
“Make no mistake, this is not a one-off. Lack of spare parts, whether with ferries, the incinerator or buses, has become a regular feature of Island life. There is, clearly, a systemic problem at work,” said the Shadow Transport Minister.
Minister Roban issued a response this afternoon saying, “We are a government of fairness which is why we are being fully transparent and keeping the Bermuda public and visitors informed about any potential issues to Public Transportation, the Ministry issued a statement advising of possible delays in some bus routes. These delays were caused by a problem with a parts supplier that was in no way the fault of the DPT management and staff.
“I want it to be clear that as of today, Thursday, June 21, this matter has been resolved. This short term challenge was not created by any fault of DPT management or staff but as a result of an error by the supplier. We quickly moved to solve the challenge and a solution to ensure this doesn’t happen again is being put in place.”
Minister Roban added: “This Government will always be open with the public as much as we can if we anticipate problems with service delivery. We are always about solutions and the management and staff of DPT responded quickly once this arose.”
Update 7.22pm: The Director of the Department of Public Transportation [DPT] confirmed that there are presently 42 buses out of service, with 18 awaiting tires and 6 buses being repaired from accidents.
A Transport Ministry spokesperson provided the following, “The total number of out of service naturally fluctuates and is dependent on various factors that include the type of mechanical problem, the physical damage to the vehicle and these factors determine the length of time a bus is out of service. At any time, we can expect 18 – 20 buses out of service routinely for maintenance.
“DPT would like to ensure the travelling public that its remains steadfast in finding solutions to address challenges as they will undoubtedly arise. The provision of service remains our priority and we continue to work with our technical staff, manufacturers and suppliers to have a plan in place to ensure service is provided.
“The peak demand for service is the period between April 1 and June 30th followed by a decrease in demand with school closing for the summer break and during this period more buses become available for service and planned maintenance.”
BS BS BS. Play the blame game as usual. PLP tactics all the way. PATHETIC LEECHING PARTY.
I agree with you, they are always blaming someone/something else for their lack of Governing in-experience.
Most of all know its the lack of money to pay/hire experience Mechanics to do the job properly
What a load of old cobblers! Fact is that DPT Management could have ordered tyres from the new supplier much sooner.
Yes, the shipment went astray, but why on discovering this was the emergency order not placed right away instead of waiting? May 25th was the original delivery date from ICS, order from the new supplier would have taken three weeks – so even if they had ordered from new supplier on 28th May (allowing time to chase the order and discover the mistake)they would have been here on the weekend. When was the order for the emergency 100 tyres placed – and with whom?
One thing I will agree on – it’s not PLP incompetence per se, but the people they put in charge of the Depts!
O.M.G!!!….I.C.S where the suppliers…who owns I.C.S.?
Kim .. Is that you ?
I ASK WAY DID MR SIMMONS SELL 10 BUSES I WANT A REPLAY FROM THE MINISTER THAY WERE IN WORKING ORDER I WAS TOLD FROM STAFF AT DPT!!!!!!
don;t forget the two that were stashed in the buses on Southside, St. David’s or is this a new parking lot – out of sight out of mind.
With all those busses needing tires it seems like they waited until completely out of spare tIres before ordering. Looks like incompetence to me. “The chain is as strong as its weakest link”
For obvious reasons,I have a difficult time believing anything Roban says!
I agree with you and I’m sure many others do!
Roban, has a lot to answer to…the truth is starting to come out..
I blame “whitey” for the missing tyres.
Funny thing is, I did not read a word above.
Newly-appointed Transport Minister.
Yah gotta laugh at this.
Think about what I said.
Shi%…the oldly’s did what.
Who is in charge.
Ewart, we are getting tired of deception.
This is such a joke but affects all Bermudians and their pockets.
Propaganda at best.
Harry Smith is brining in 400 horse to keep up with transport inefficiancies.
Waste Management can’t even cycle the sh$t.
Roban thinks tyres wear out all of a sudden, not gradually and predictably. It’s like watching a Marx Brothers farce isn’t it.
Roban, is a joke,,,no one believes a word he says….and else for Paula getting him back as a minister !!!!!!!!!!!!what the hell was she thinking ??????????
I hate to say it but she has to go !!!!!!! Kim Wilson will be the next premier but I wonder if she will allow Brown back ??because he did appoint her in her current position…
Yeah Kim Wilson was doing very well, until she made those stupid comments last month.
LMFHO…..That’s a huge crock of BS.
If I ran my business like that, I would be bankrupt…..oh, this counrty is bankrupt.
How do so many buses need tyres all at once? Why is there such a discrepancy between the official count of buses out of service for lack of spare tyres, and the unofficial count? Given that the situation has reached the point where there have to be interruptions in service, one is inclined to think the unofficial report is closer to the truth, otherwise there would be enough replacement buses to take up the slack…unless there is some other problem that we are not yet aware of.
Mr. Roban, transparency means more than merely giving out just enough information to CYA. It means that you actually provide a complete picture of the issue. I teach that there are lies of commission and lies of omission. The first is deliberately stating a falsehood. The second is concealing the truth or choosing not to tell the whole truth.
I want to be able to respect the people I have chosen to govern me. As a taxpayer, I deserve honesty, transparency, fair play, justice, prudence, equal rights, good judgement with my country and my money, and respect in return. As you re-enter the forefront of the political scene, I pray that you will be able to learn from past mistakes and set an example for what has become an oxymoron, a good and honest politician.
Oh pastor syl, back at it again…
So so sad.
You don’t get it, and you never will.
P Syl…. Took the words and questions out of my mouth,,,
Wait till you see the quality of the new tyres, probably made by the same brother in law as the light fixtures in the new building.
I thought they farmed out the entire government tire supply contract to three local companies. Surely they could source some tires locally?
The reason that these buses are not on the road is not because of the shipping company? Yes, they messed up or so it would seem – but ordering tires that wear and tear quite predictably isn’t a job that requires a masters degree? You don’t order tires when you are out of stock then hope that al goes well! There are things like, hurricanes, ship break downs, srike action and a long list of other possible delays. Someone f’d up here…or maybe they could order because we’re broke. Why cover it up? Maybe if they spent less time striking and going to BIU meetings in he middle of the day then maybe the order could have been prepareed sooner. I hope this individual wasn’t responsible for ordering brakes or brake fluid for these buses?
Stop passing the buck. You the government are ultimately responsible! We put you in charge, so if they fail, YOU FAIL. Transportation Department Grade – F
Hey buddy the BIU members doesn’t order the parts & tires, that’s all Dan Simmons and his management teams fault.. He is the imcompetent one!!!!!!!!
What a load of……. Poor management….. Once again, if I screwed up like this I’d be looking for a new job…. I wish I made their money and could actually NOT think all day!!!!
42 buses out of service????????
That has to be most of them. I wonder how these clowns dress themselves every morning – I mean seriously who is running this show? Ah, Mr Roban, and now of course it all makes sense. Not the sharpest tool in the box.
Clearly the “transparency” was not intentional.
When buses don’t run, it is visible to all….you cannot hide an elephant!!
So please Mr Minister, don’t take credit for being “transparent”.
Transparency has nothing to do with any of this. It’s all about blatant incompetence and sheer stupidity. Only a fool would leave tire replacement for an entire fleet to occur at the same instant! A house pet could figure out that such predictable maintenance jobs should be done on a revolving basis so only one bus at a time would be removed for service – and that should only be for a couple of hours MAXIMUM; tire replacement is a teeny tiny job for any self respecting professional transit agency. Do those words describe Bermuda’s bus service? Clearly not.
I wouldn’t hire Roban to fill my gas tank; he’s nowhere near capable of the job assigned him, nor are most of the rest of the PLP lot capable of discharging theirs.
Totally agree with you Billy. Roban should be kicked to the curb. He is hopeless, puffing up his chest while in front on the mic! There is no way that all these buses tyres have to be replaced at the same time. How ridiculous is this! And these are the people leading our country, WOW!
The Director of the Department of Public Transportation [DPT] confirmed that there are presently 42 buses out of service, with 18 awaiting tires and 6 buses being repaired from accidents.
18+6 = 22
It’s all the UBP’s fault. If we had a proper educational system in place years ago our current government wouldn’t think that 18 + 6 = 42.
LOL LOL LOL
LOL!
The thing that is not a joke is the school children having to be run through the ringer .
I’d bet more then half you people commenting on here need new tires on your vehicles like yesterday, but are too damn lazy or cheap to have them replaced…
It makes me laugh when people bring their vehicles in for service and they admit to knowing it should have been in 3 or so months ago… SMH
You’re kidding me right? There is a huge difference between what I do for my own private vehicle and people that are getting paid to do a job that services the public….
Dumbest comment EVER!
You have to be a PLP supporter, if you honestly think that this is not stupid, then you must be! I bet if it were Bob Richards, or Craig you’re message would be different!
So for ALL you nay sayers, can i hear an apology. I didnt think so. You ALL CRACKER ME UP..
Race card!
Ah?! Why should anyone be apologizing? Maybe you should apologizes for using a racist term like Cracker.. Typical though…….
LOL there are how many buses off the road? Why? Who is the head of the Ministry of transport?
I caught the bus a couple of days ago (before the story broke). The bus was running late and the supervisor came and told all of the passengers. Naturally, people began shouting and complaining. I don’t envy those poor men that job, as they are the ones taking all of the abuse from the passengers….while the people that actually caused the problem are probably hiding out in their airconditioned offices…..
typical of the vast pool of talent and skill represented by this government….let’s just recycle the same Ministers over and over again because we have no one else to handle these problems…..it would be ok if the same two of three ministers had a shred of capability but they do not…..just Paula’s friends…oh well what else is new?
What amazed me was when she took over as Premier she appointed the only “part time” minister in the cabinet (Minors) to the two pillars of the economy – Tourism and Business Development, at a time of economic crisis.
If that is not bad judgment and which sets a bad perception, what does.
She should have appointed two full time ministers for that portfolio.
What really makes me laugh is that the Minister says, the PLP is an open and transparent Government! HUH? ZBM reported this way before they did. How transparent is that? In other words if ZBM or the RG hadn;t told us, we’d never know!
well people you all need to stop shooting the messenger,he doesnt order parts or fix busses ferries or any.as usual we miss the point of origin the civil servants who collect a paycheck bs ing to keep a job and lying to the ps who informs the minister. i see it every day at my gov job management is the problem trust