Disabled Visitor Thanks Tourism Minister
[Updated] A wheelchair-using American visitor’s unhappy experience on a Bermuda bus brought tears to the eyes of Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert – and he has offered to bring her back to the island at his own expense if necessary to make amends for her ordeal.
In a recent post on the social network site Facebook, New Jersey resident Jeannette Carey recounted her recent Bermuda nightmare.
“Bermuda is not handicapped-friendly,” she said. “I was told to get off a bus because I was in a wheelchair. I was able to walk up onto the bus and my husband folded my wheelchair.
“But as I sat in the first seat, the bus driver told me to get off the bus. He does not take people in wheelchairs. I was mortified. I was a tourist on the island for the previous five days and had taken the bus couple of times. For whatever reason the bus company has a policy regarding wheelchairs. They don’t have to let them on.
“I called over a supervisor and explained I was being told to get off but that I was already on, my chair was on and not in anyone’s way. That the bus driver did not have to do any more or any less for me, but he was yelling for me to get off bus.”
Mrs. Carey, who is currently training to be a doula, said as the supervisor was talking to the driver, she turned to the other bus passengers and apologised for the inconvenience.
“They stared me down”, she said. “One man started yelling ‘You’re not listening, get off the bus’. The bus driver at some point came back on the bus and turned it off and took keys as he left the bus. Now the people were really upset. If looks could kill … One women hit my legs as she exited the bus.”
Mrs. Carey said after about 10 minutes of waiting to see what was going to happen, the driver did return and drove the bus with her as a passenger.
“I was not getting off that bus,” she said. “Because I am handicapped only means I am unable to walk [but] I felt in Bermuda it comes with a stigma.
“You are useless therefore you are worthless. Even for a ride on a public bus.”
Tourism Minister Mr. Furbert [pictured] phoned Mrs. Carey in New Jersey yesterday [Dec. 3] immediately after being alerted to the report of her troubling experience in Bermuda
“What happened to her was very sad and disturbing to me,” he said. “I called her and as she was explaining what happened, she started to cry — which brought tears to my eyes.
“I could feel her pain and hurt. I apologised to her on behalf of the Government and the people of Bermuda and have invited her back to Bermuda with all expenses paid — even if I have to pay for it myself. I have also spoken to The Minister of Transport who will be looking into it.”
Mrs. Carey said she was both surprised and gratified that Mr. Furbert had taken the time to contact her about the bus incident.
“I received a phone call this morning from the Minister of Tourism of Bermuda,” she said. “He was very apologetic. He will be meeting with the Transportation Department to discuss what happened to me and to rectify the issue.
“I was very happy with the outcome considering I didn’t know the Minister of Tourism knew I existed. It was nice to know they cared. Thank you Bermuda. A bad apple should not spoil the whole basket. THIS IS THE BERMUDA I KNOW!!!”
Mr. Furbert added he had enjoyed talking with Mrs. Carey and his heart went out to her as she described what occurred on the bus.
“This should not have happened,” he said. “Bermuda we must up our game and make sure that all our visitors are feel welcome when they come and while they are here. I have invited Jeannette and husband back to Bermuda at our cost and if I am on the island I will be there to welcome her. Bermuda, I love you, but it is we who hold our destiny in our own hands.”
Update 10.50pm: This evening Transport Minister Derrick Burgess said he was personally saddened by this incident, it should never have happened and it was embarrassing to our country.
The Minister said buses are a public service, and said if the passenger can board the bus, the bus should carry them, as disallowing passengers is tantamount to discrimination.
He said he will be reviewing the policies, and will make any necessary adjustments immediately.
When asked what would happen to the driver in question, Minister Burgess said that he cannot speak on that at this time as he does not have all the details, but an investigation will take place.
Incredible! What a horror story!!! I would hope that the driver is identified & fired imediatly.
The other passengers on the bus should be ashamed of themselves.
What has this Island become????
incredible indeed !!!
Very sad. I’m ashamed at the lack of compassion shown both by the driver as well as the other passengers… Have we really become that cold and uncaring?
SHAME SHAME TO THAT BUS DRIVER! THANKS MINISTER!!!!!!
FIRE THEIR AZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Oh no you can’t do that because this is Bermuda. No wonder people don’t come here anymore.
Shame on the driver and shame on the passengers who lashed out at this lady.
They better hope they don’t lose the use of their own legs.
A very disturbing story. How awful that Mrs. Carey was subjected to such horrible behavior from this bus driver. I really hope he is let go, then alongs comes the other bus drivers walking out etc and a strike will ensue. I pray that doesn’t happen but he/she needs to be reprimanded. We do not need people like that driving our buses or working in any tourist related job.
Thank you Mr Furbert for reaching out to Mrs Carey as my heart really goes out to her for being treated so poorly on our island.
My God……WTF??? Sounds like that driver needs people n compassion training…I catch the bus everywhere and I know a few nasty drivers but this case is REALLY out of order….Was it that rude driver who has 11 30 am to St.Georges on Fridays???
probably….
I mean….. where’s the humanity??? There MUST be more to the story….. I’m listening
There are rules in place!!! Tourists should have to follow them just like the rest of us … even tourists in wheelchairs!!! IMHO the real pple at fault are the other drivers and supervisors who let this woman ride without telling her the buses DO NOT HAVE TO CARRY pple in wheelchairs. Then it would have bean no surprize when she was told to get off. Yes, they are the REAL ones at fault!!!
In my day we were brought up to think of visitors as guests in our own homes. No matter what the rules are, the driver in question should have shown some discretion. And compassion. Kudos to Minister Furbert — and, as he says, when it comes to a tourism revival(or anything else for that matter) our destiny really is in our own hands, Bermuda.
Your day is in THE PAST!!! These ppl come to my country, they must abide by my country’s RULES!!!
Hey BDA Playa, you are obviously ignorant and do not know how to spell!!! You are the reason this country is falling apart!
@ BDA Playa you sound like one of them stupid bus drivers (they have a few good drivers). Tourist bring foreign currency, yup money into the Island Wake up.
That would be BDA Idiot! You are very much the problem here. Too many others like you make this an inhospitable place to tourists, the handicapped, expats and anyone who doesn’t look like them.
Nice job, Idiot. No interest in hearing any more from you or your like until you’ve destroyed this island entirely.
I guess someone forgot to tell you that it’s tourists that once kept this island afloat and it’s tourists that we may have to turn to again to help get us out of this money crisis. HOW DARE YOU say that she is unwelcome as a passenger. She has every right to ride the bus just like every one else. I would wish you ill-will towards the use of one or all of your limbs but I do believe that God/Karma has something better coming your way than I could have even imagined. So much so that you will eat your words and rue the day that you made just an insensitive and ignorant remark. Just as closed-minded as some of the other beligerants walking this island.
Boss SHUT UP PLEASE. YOU ARE AN IDIOT TO THE HIGHEST DEGREE!!!!
You are so bloody ignorant BDA Playa! There should be a new rule implemented in the Department of Transportation – 3 strikes and you are out! There should be hired persons to act as tourists who ride buses all day with hidden cameras. If a driver is caught being rude to a tourist or even less helpful that one should be as a frontline ambassador to Bermuda (a place where the tourist cannot rent a car, remember!), then they should be given a warning. If it happens again, they should be given a warning that the next time they will be fired and the third time, they are fired…no questions asked.
This is what we need for BERMUDA! There are plenty of people out there looking for jobs who would be only too happy to take the rude bus drivers’ jobs. Dept of Tourism – work with the Dept of Transportation – PLEASE – to give Bermuda a new image that we all know needs updating!!!!!!!!!
P.S. There are a lot of wonderful bus drivers in Bermuda – you know who you are! Keep up the good work for Bermuda!
NO!!! The real IGNORNENT ones are those who do not tell this woman drivers DO NOT have to take her on the bus if they do not want to!!! Why Wayne Furbert apologize to this woman. He should be apologizing to the bus driver she bad mouthing who only following the RULES!!!
Are you really serious ‘BDA Playa’? We are a country that is trying to revive our tourism and this is the type of ignorance that they experience. Regardless wether or not the bus driver had to take the passenger, the situation was handled badly. If these are the people who are at the front line dealing with our tourists we can see why tourism is at a steady decline!
@BDA Playa the word is “ignorant” not “ignornent” like you dumb ass. I hope and pray that you don’t find yourself or one of your family members in a wheelchair. People like you should be tied to the back of the bus and dragged to your destination “HELL”
@ BDA Playa: The rules, as you state them, are that bus drivers do not HAVE to take a wheelchair passenger, which means they have the discretion to take them or not. If previous drivers took that passenger without a problem, they are not at fault, they are using their discretion – and their compassion, of which the driver in question had none, nor did his passengers.
Your comments underscore what I have been saying for a while “There are creatures walking among us on two legs who resemble humans but have no humanity.”
I am assuming this rule is in place so that bus drivers do not have to lift passengers and their wheel chairs ect. But didnt the lady say that her husband was with her and he folded the chair…so why the bus driver so gung ho to stick to the ‘dont have to take a wheelchair passenger rule’ doesnt seem like there required any any effort on his part. O – I know why, because she didnt say ‘Good Morning!’?
Kathy,
With all the issues that have come to light the last several months about the buses, yours is an excellent idea. Definitely a way to resolve these problems, AND the added benefit of giving employment to people as the ‘anonymous’ inspectors.
Good thinking! I hope Transportation is listening!
BDA Playa….your a complete ass and a moron.
I’m lost for words.
You never lost fore words, Terry!!! You full of them … and other stuff, to!!!
I am not lost for words at all. It is BERNEWS thats puts comment WHERE they WANT.
Which in turn creates this sh&t storm.
As$#hole.
Terry. For once I agree with you. Well said.
Surely you are not serious. If you are, what could have possibly happened in your life to make you so heartless & spiteful? I certainly hope that wherever you work, if you even have a job, you are not in a position where you come into contact with the customers who pay your wages.
A job cleaning buses in the yard, away from everyone else might be appropriate for you. Come to think of it, that is where this bus driver should go, with a big reduction in salary to go with the demotion.
Don’t want to hear any stories like the drunk ferry skipper who, apparently, did time in the yard but held his full skipper salary. Some punishment!
@ BDA Playa:
Can’t you BLANKETY, BLANK READ.
THE LADY WAS NOT IN HER WHEEL CHAIR
YOU ARE A REAL AZZ. BECAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY ” KARMA IS A B..CH”
BDA Playa, I suppose you would also support Rosa Parks being told to sit at the back of the bus. After all, she should have followed the rules, shouldn’t she? Who cares about compassion or doing the right thing…
Youve no right to mention Rose Parks in the same sentence as this woman. Rose Parks fight for justice against segeragation. This woman not learn THE RULES in the country where she going on vacation. There is no comparison betweem the two.
I very much think the ‘BDA Playa’ is a troll, and this comment is confirming my suspicions. As an aside, I find it very unsettling that he cannot even correctly spell the name of the woman he champions as a fighter of equality.
im starting to agree with ryan. This guy cant be taken seriously. he’s just trolling.
you sound like a real idiot simply because you don’t know what you’re talking about. you dont knoow the difference between right and wrong. You cannot speak proper english and you can’t spell. You are clearly an example of a child who “fell through the cracks” in school, if you even went.
i’m 16 years old, and i can see how much of a dumb ignorant person you are. its people like you who drive Bermuda down wards could you imagine if everyone had the same attitude as you? Bermuda would be screwed.
Bermuda Player? Play what yourself? Please use your brain next time before you embarrass yourself with your silly comments
Uh yeah, they’re the same situation! Both women protested the rules of the bus service they were using/country they were in. Both women experienced discrimination because of those rules. Both experienced segregation based on things they can’t change (Rosa: being colored, tourist: needing a wheelchair). Oh, and both situations involved a woman. Therefore, there is a comparison between them.
You should think about what you intend to say before typing it, especially when you’re trying to champion Rosa Parks. I’d dare to say she would be disappointed in how you’re trying to make her better than this lady. Both ladies just wanted equality when riding the bus. I’m sure Ms. Parks could have sympathized with this lady.
I instantly thought of Rosa Parks when I read this story. Good for her for staying on the bus, I can’t imagine how uncomfortable she was made to feel both by the driver and the rude passengers. at least she has brought this situation to light. I understand that bus drivers have a stressful job, but who doesn’t? E
I don;t understand how people who treat others badly can sleep well at night. When I am able to help a person or make them smile in turn it makes my day better, love and kindness flows, negative actions and thoughts only attract more negativity.
I am so disappointed in some of our bus drivers lately, and it doesn’t seem to matter what anyone says or does. It’s so sad.
There is a VERY real comparison between Rosa Parks and this tourist. Both spoke out for, or did actions that illustrated and highlighted the inequalities that plague society.
Oh and yea….I also think you’re an ass.
Rosa Parks knew the ‘rules’ but chose to go against them to help a race of people achieve equality. This woman’s situation is in the same light, as handicapped persons do not have equal access to public trasportation. She was discriminated against because she was in a wheelchair as Rosa Parks was because she was black. Discrimination in all its forms is an blight on any society. We are in serious trouble if we allow the powers that be to continue to treat our citizens and our guests this way.
Every1 has a point, but i agree wit BDA Playa 100%, y should we Bermudians be bitches to outsiders walkin al over us, every1 have to be by the rules.
Boy, this “BDA Playa” is one ignorant SOB. Just remember, karma’s a b***ch. Hope you never lose the use of your legs.
We arrest that tourist missinary for having a GUN!!! He breaks the law, he pays the price!!! What’s the difference here??? She should have been told THE RULES by other drivers. Then she would have know buses DO NOT HAVE TO CARRY WHEELCHAIRS!!! Why this so difficult for you to understand???
look fool,im a regular on the bus,during the summer. a few drivers had wheelchairs on the bus, the folding ones….. so to you what is the rule concering wheelchairs????? Some of those drivers are just nasty(female)I wish they name the person…shameful.
@BDA Playa;
Jackass!
There is a feature on your computer called “SPELL CHECK: use it idiot
Missionary got it
Grammar: Than she would have known buses. I am just saying:!!!!
… actually, ‘Senior,’ although I am loath to admit it, ‘BDA Playa’s’ grammar –at least in that case which you mentioned — is correct.
Look bie, if I ever found out who you are, I would [edited] you twice for everyone on here! Matter of a fact, I have a family member who is in a wheelchair, and just for him, I would [edited]!!!!!!!!!
if buses are not obligated to carry wheelchairs, i have a general question:
is there adapted public transport available for tourists? or can they only rely on taxis and ferries?
Theres special taxis these ppl can use. She should have found out about them before comin to my country like she should have found out about wheelchair RULES on Bermdua buses.
@BDA Playa;
There are Special Buses also, oh you forgot them, hmmmmmmm
These ppl not owed nothing if they dont learn the RULES in my country before they come here!!!
Just please shut up. You are a true a$$hole! You don’t know the rules! You have no clue what the rules are or what they should be. And i hope to god you never ever travel to someone else’s country ad deal with what she did in yours. If you do I hope you have to deal with a heck of a lot worse that this poor lady did, by ignorant a$$ holes just like you!
a$%hole.
notice how everyone’s going against your comments
obviously there’s something wrong..
@BDA Playa… Why are you so obsessed with RULES?! Sounds like you are suffering from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Maybe go see a shrink. On the other hand, I prefer to use COMMON SENSE over RULES if they are optional. In any case, I don’t believe you are a real Bermudian.
If he was so obsessed with rules than the rules of grammar and spelling would apply. He is just a degenerate idiot!
You’re asinine comments are making Bermuda look stupid and elitist. Shut up. Bet you can’t even keep the rules of your own country.
I hope that when you go to another country that you have just as much respect for their rules/laws as you’re demanding this lady and other tourists have for Bermuda. Remember that you will be subject to those laws and the consequences of breaking them, and no one will give a s*** that you’re Bermudian.
if this is YOUR COUNTRY you should at least learn now to spell Bermuda properly. jack^ss
That seems like a general typo as opposed to your complete ignorance of the English language!
BDA Playa – ur a fool. If u and ANYone u knew was told to get off a bus bc they’re handicapped u would never get off quietly. Eff off. “follow the laws of my country.” Horsesh!t. The locals don’t!!
Doesn’t hv to take her? So he has a choice? If he having a bad day or he’s racist (yep i took it there) he has the “right” not to let the person on? Might be some bs policy but he should hv to. He’s a public servant. The only thing that makes half sense is if it’s an insurance thing (a wheelchair rolling as the bus brakes – but even then, no!). We bought wheelchair accessibe buses, don’t hv the infrastructure to use them. A handicap person is now not allowed on them. This island is backwards. Do u wonder why Bermuda is in the toilet? Yelling at her to get off the bus? Really? If it HAD to be (which shouldnt even be an option) how about about approach the lady quietly and explain why and apologise. Maybe she should hv rented a scooter inna? Smfh!!!!
BDA player is your typical troll or gang banger or Plp s**t stirrer alowed to post here.
You guys don’t get it do you. Your MP’s have their monies set aside. Gives a new meaning to “Quo Fata Furunt”.
Think about it whilst your children and ex husbands and wives waste away in Britain and apply for UD visas and domicile et al.
Brings a new (another meaning) to Jones Town.
what this to do with gangs or plp, terry??? NOTHING!!! It have evrything to do with this woman not know the bus RULES in Bermdua!!!Once again, you show your IGNORENCE here. As$#hole.
PLP troll. Not worth any further response. The upsetting thing is, how many Bermudians really think like this troll. It is no wonder that Bermuda is in the Situation that it is in.
BDA player. You are one sick individual or just here to create havoc. Not gonna work. Now go back to your computer and jerk yourself.
LOL!!! You the jerk, Terry … Ppl who look like you always take the side of FOREIGNERS againts Bermudains who lool like me …
Side of foreigners?
what side?
your a dumbass seriously
Terry, I gots to agree with BDA Playa on that one..gangs and PLP have nothing to do with this..
Handicapped people are people too. The bus takes baby carriages which are at times large also. The driver needs to have a heart. One chair for a few minutes will not kill them. Shame on them.
who’d ever think i’d call my own people disgusting.
Typical.
Drunk ferry drivers, drunk, drug addled bus drivers and now this bus driving jerk won’t take people in wheelchairs.
But ohhh no we can’t fire these excrement droppings because the BIU will go on strike to defend the horrendous behaviour of a disgraceful pitiful sad excuse for a human.
Again: Until the BIU is dismantled we will have to put up with disgraceful behaviour like the bus driver exhibited.
Eff you BIU.
Anyone out there still think that it was the UBP who killed tourism ? Anyone ?
My guess is that the bus driver in question also thinks Rosa Parks was a hero.
Doesn’t the HR act cover people with disabilities ?
Mrs Carey , if you never come back or ever have a good word to say about this place again I don’t blame you one bit .. But I DO know who to blame .
Fire the driver( or whoever made up such a stupid rule). They wont go on strike if it is not tourist season, by the time April 1st comes around, and the tourists, those fools would have forgotten all about that idiot of a driver.
Must be an election coming up.
OMG. I am soooo ashamed to be Bermudian. We have become the scum on the bottom of tourism’s shoes. In other countries bus drivers flip wheelchairs (with people IN them) on and off their buses with NO problem. This poor excuse for a human being bus driver won’t take a folded chair??? What have we become as human beings? Scum. Scum. Scum.
I don’t know why any of you are even bothering to entertain BDA Player..surely after reading his/hers first post you can see how much of an ignorant a##hole he/she is…I never knew such a rule existed and if it does then that’s something that needs to be changed..if she was able to walk up the steps and the chair was folded and not left open taking up space in the aisle please explain to me where the problem lies? I’ve seen people get on the bus with carriages, bags upon bags of groceries that actually take up space and they are not denied entry.”’@ BDA player clearly your handicap is your train of thought…..hope you never end up in a wheelchair and need to catch the bus…….
That “rule” does not exist…the driver was just being an a$$.
I have read the numerous comments from BDA Playa who quotes the rules on Bermuda buses as follows. ” BUSES DO NOT HAVE TO CARRY WHEELCHAIRS.” Perhaps BDA Playa has problems with language. This ‘rule’ does NOT say that Buses CANNOT carry wheelchairs; it merely says that they do not HAVE to carry wheelchairs. In this particular case it appears that the the disabled person managed to successfully get onto the bus and into a seat, and that the passengers were able to walk up and down the aisle (and insult the disabled person while doing so). It also appears that other drivers had previously allowed her to ride on the bus with no problems. Is BDA Playa actually arguing that the other bus drivers broke the rules? If they were charged with doing so the case would be laughed out of court! The problem here is a complete lack of respect for human rights and this issue needs to be urgently addressed. Minister Furbert is calling it as it is when he says, “What happened to her was very sad and disturbing”. This story is a national disgrace and is an embarrassment to our Government and our people.
Here we go again!
There are many factors in play here and as a result we find ourselves in this horrifying situation again. This problem has been a real issue at department of public transport for a very long time. Until goverment puts the drivers over there playing managers back in the seat and hire truly qualified people to see to the day to day running of DPT we will continue to be faced with these situation. So that everyone is clear it is the POLICY of DPT that the drivers DO NOT ACCEPT WHEELCHAIRS. FOLDED OR OTHERWISE. Where the problem begins — and I’ve told them this for years — is when you get people who are wheelchair bound going to purchase bus passes from the hotels or other outlets. They are sold thier passes WITHOUT BEING TOLD OF THE EXISTING POLICY OF DPT. It’s only when that individual approaches the bus is he or she informed of the policy leaving the driver in a very bad situation of having to explain the policy of DPT. Secondly you have the drivers who don’t care of who or what gets on their buses, which only makes it that much harder for the driver who is only doing his or her job enforcing the policies they are paid and expected to enforce. Then comes the supivisor who instead of supporting the driver in enforcing the driver doing his job tells them to carry the wheelchair. For once DPT needs to properly address this situation and fix it. Because if there is a accident and that person with the wheelchair gets hurt, the person driving the bus is responsible because DPT’s policy states NO WHEELCHAIRS.
All you haters understand now!!! This bus driver tell it like it is!!!
maybe that bus driver is one of the pleasant drivers…
Still no excuse for the bus drivers behaviour..
Nowhere in my statement did I condone or say that the drivers behaviour was appropriate. I said and will say it again, it’s managments right to manage and it’s long overdue that they do just that. Stand up and manage then you won’t have drivers out there fighting to do what they were hired to do. Correct posting and dissemanation of information is paramount and this is where the present managemnt team at dpt fall short. The wheelchair policy at dpt is no different then the baby carraige policy. The policy for baby carraiges is as follows. UMBRELLA STROLLERS ONLY. Yet on a daily basis we see people running for the bus with a carraige big enough that it should have a horse in front of it. And all these policies fall under the health and safety act and in accordance with dpt’s insurance policy. As one boards the bus most people are under the impression that the carrier they see in the front of the bus is for them to store their parcels or whatever they want to put there.But the reality for having those installed in the buses was so that the driver could store his or her personal work equipment below and above was a way for the driver to determine if what you were carrying was of proper size to be on the bus. so one would rest their package there and if it fit within the dimensions, then you could carry it back put it under your seat or on your lap. The main reason for these policies were more for safety.so if there was an accident at least the aisle would be clear enough for passangers to dissembark the bus without hazzards preventing them from reaching safety. As a driver I think I’ve said enough I think it should be managenent here explaining the reasons behind their policies. But knowing them as well as I do I know they wont have the decency to come out and say anything.
we see people running for the bus with a carraige big enough that it should have a horse in front of it.
LMAO!!
I heard a memo came out stating drivers must accept wheelchairs ,but the DPT arent liable if any thing happens on board the bus….human rights anyone?
So what about those new wheel chair accessible buses they spent thousands of taxpayers dollars on….uhh why not use them for what they were made for!!??
To think our tourism minister had to call this poor visitor..and offer her a trip back to Bermuda ….because of her treatment by a BUS DRIVER !!!!!!!! this bus driver should be fired…and I hope Mrs Carey sues the Bermudian Gov for what she had to endure….
the driver is at fault….nasty attitude more than likly caused the problem…we as passengers must start now calling these drivers out….I’m just sick of their attitudes…..heres an example Monday 12.50 #7 from Dockyard that driver not nice and Fridays 1130am #11 to St>Georges shes’ not nice. I catch those buses and they are not very pleasant drivers…
It would be very interesting to hear the drivers side of the story . Maybe Mrs.Cary is a player and Flip Flops is being played .
BDA PLAYA must be the bus driver.
I think I was on this woman’s bus in St Georges! If I wasn’t then it has happened more than once. Bda bus drivers have become so entitled they think they can do anything. Let me tell you, I travel on the bus frequently and I would say the 90% of the time the driver is INSULTING to someone. Next time I am on the bus I will have a recording device, You have been warned!!!
i agree with you. Santa i want tape recorder and put some of these bus drivers on blast…..
DO I BEAR SHAME AND EMBARRASSMENT BEING A BUS DRIVER? YES, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. BUT THIS TIME I STAND TALL IN SUPPORT OF MY COWORKER. HE OR SHE WAS ONLY DOING THIER JOB! I recall a time where I was called a very insensitive A$$$ because I refused a guy a ride brcause he had no fare. I was only doing my job,and when making those decicions I first think of the family I have to support and am responsible for. If I allowed the guy to ride without paying who,s to say that one of the passengers would,nt have called DPT and reported me as many passengers often do. I’m left with the choices of being fired simply for not collecting the $4.50 fare and not being in a position to care for my family.Thats the importance of going to work no matter where you work and ENFORCING AND ABIDING BY THE POLICIES BEFORE YOU. S0 instead of trying to bite the head off the driver go after the director of DPT Mrs Jonelle Christopher and her Operations manager Mr Dereck Trott. Ask them to provide the minutes over the last 8 years from the Jcc and health and safety meetings and you’ll see just how long this has been a real issue waiting for resolution.But I bet as always they will just sit over there and allow thier drivers to be faulted for this entire situation. Or even better still talk to the new minister of transpoet. This has been a big issue even when he was still the president of the union, so i know he’ll remember the many meetings he was privy to in reference to this situation.
Common Sense usually overrides RULES! Many drivers need ‘people’ training, IMO! And they need to be more compassionate — maybe even ‘bending’ the rules now and then like almost everyone does here. The PLP Gov’t does it BIG TIME: remember “it’s unethical but not illegal.” That’s how they carry on, and it trickles down. Trickle down nastiness! With the LOO-Tennant as the all-star for rudeness….
BDA Player (as they call themselves): Your comments are very heartless and I am sickened by what you write…I agree with you when you say that rules should be followed but that is about it.
Embarassed Bus Driver: I agree that there are rules set in place and what not. I would understand if this lady were by herself and she had the wheelchair and what not but she was being accompanied by another adult, do you know if there are any rules that allow handicapped persons to ride only if they are accompanied by someone responsible for their wheelchair and them??? Maybe this could be enforced…just an idea. If i were a bus driver I think I would be hesitant to accept a wheelchair bound person….BUT ONLY IF THEY WERE ALONE because I would be afraid of anything happening to them, especially because there arent any seatbelts or because I would not be able to help them if something should happen fast (i.e. slam on brakes, someone hit me, etc)
FYI: My comments were not intended to bash anyone or imply that you were wrong with anything that you said….maybe my suggestion could be mentioned
Don’t be so quick to judge.. let’s hear from the driver and passengers. Some Bermudians can be rude but those who ride the bus have more compassion than most because they know the struggle of getting around the island oh too well. Let’s just be fair in our coverage of this matter.
Did the bus driver not notice that she was in a wheelchair? Why did she let her climb up the steps and sit down, to tell her to get off? Obviously walking isn’t something that comes easy to this lady. In my opinion, the bus driver handled this situation badly. It is no wonder that the tourism industry in this island is total sh!t. Customer service is horrible. Not the Bermuda it used to be, that is for sure.
Bemuda is definetly not wheel-chair friendly and it is so bad that when you are in a wheelchair that you are limited to where you can go. Nobody wants to be in chair but that is our life and we are feeling the limitations not you. A walking person can go where ever they want and even park where they want but not us. My car is a back loader and it is wider than a regular car so it can’t fit in a regular parking space. Plus the fact because it is a back loader, there is no ramped sidewalk at the back of the car so I have to access the road to go to the end of the block to be able to get on the ramp to go on the sidewalk. So dangerous for me because drivers are not careful.
Out in Dockyard, at King’s Point Cruise Ship Terminal, there is no way a wheelchair can use the TWO sidewalks! One sidewalk is made up of bumpy bricks which is difficult for wheelchairs and scooters to navagate! The other sidewalk is blocked in the middle by those big metal blocks our Tug Boats tie up to! So the only choice is to use the roadway, which can get quite dangerous with tour busses and taxis going back and forth.
The Heritage Wharf is much better for physically challenged people — but it desperately needs some serious LANDSCAPING and a WIND BREAK!!
What kind of discrimination is this?? What kind of rule is this? Why would bus drivers have the option to turn people away because they’re in a wheelchair? Please help me understand the logic behind this “rule.” she had been catching buses all week and one effed up driver decided he didn’t want her on his/her bus…WHY??? I don’t understand this!! And not to mention we spent all this money on wheelchair-friendly buses!! Bermuda is all about appearance but the reality of it all is that we as a nation suck big time!! Losing faith real quick!!
@bad playa…you’re a heartless mofo!! Im sure even you don’t follow all the rules of your country!!
When a bus driver does his job he or she you all bad mouth then
Pint for you all your child fget on the bus No pass you short off the
Fare you ride . if we have more then 50 plp and still lit one or two .
YOU ALL should come and Be a BUS DRIVER
Again, in English this time please.
Bermuda’s schools have failed you!
Wow! Hospitality has gone down the drain…… so to add insult to injury this passenger got on the bus just fine, sat down, wheel chair not in walkway, but then she was berated by not only the driver but by passengers too? OMG how demoralizing. Shame on you who did that.
Ok let me get this straight…. the old buses are gone for obvious reasons and better new buses are brought in. These new buses are actually capable of taking wheel chair assisted persons provided they have help. Why hasn’t the policy book been changed?
Drug testing drivers wasn’t mandatory way back when the policy book was made but I bet that was an amendment wasn’t it so why can’t it be amended for wheel chairs? Seems to me that in this day and age that the (and I quote from another persons remark) “POLICY of DPT that the drivers DO NOT ACCEPT WHEELCHAIRS. FOLDED OR OTHERWISE” is a bit discriminatory in and of itself.
Times are changing and so should policy books!
I have read all of these comments and I find most people very passionate. But that BDA playa…wow you are a piece of work!
I am a former Front Desk / Concierge Agent. Many of our tourists are told the policies of the locals buses, when it come to wheel chairs and large strollers. Most abide by the rules, a few – just a few do their own thing and come back to the hotel with attitude like someone owes them something!! BUT, whether this lady knew or not, she should NEVER have been yelled at. The driver may have the power to ask her to exit the bus – BUT there is a way to talk to people!! I think if the driver explained in a professional manner, and even offer to call a PC taxi, it would not have been an issue!!
I read the story & skimmed the comments. I must say I am ASHAMED to call myself Bermudian! We used to pride ourselves on being friendly ppl, where & when did this change?! I’m 24 yrs old & I refuse to let my island be run a mock by some disgruntled bus drivers! Where is the compassion? Where is the humility? They need to start naming & shaming these idiots!!! Bermuda should place hidden cameras or microphones on the buses so that the DTP can see how the supposed “ambassadors* of Bermuda act! To throw a temper tantrum & storm off the bus is utter ridiculousness!!Especially if you are going to get back on the bus & drive regardless. To the other passengers on this bus, you should be ashamed of yourselves! To allow this to happen & condone the nastiness of this bus driver! Do you Bermudians forget what is our main income right now?! Why should you spoil the future of Bermuda?! We already have wayward youth & now you’re adding to this ignorance!!! I am glad to see our Tourism Minister step in & offer her amends to correct the sheer ignorance of the bus driver. I hope she returns & has a much more enjoyable time.
In most places in the world they actually try to deliver the mail even if the postal code is wrong by one digit. In most places in the world facilities are provided for the handicapped on buses, trains, subways and planes…. there is clearly a leadership issue here and the driver – however despicable and morally wrong her actions might be – is correct to say she is following policy even where that policy would seem to offend human rights legislation. It is the policy makers that need to be booted (and the driver moved to another position where she does not come in contact with the public). It is the old “I’m just a cog in the wheel syndrome”…. it starts from the top, and that is where the changes need to start.
I commend the Minister for Tourism for his prompt and kind offer of a return visit to Jeannette Carey but – to throw a bit of a twist on this – I wonder what the reaction might have been if it was instead a gay visitor (able bodied or otherwise) that was thrown off a Bermuda bus…. apparently perfectly legal under current legislation!
Apologies – I am mislead as many of the comments refer to a female bus driver: re-reading the original article I see that the driver was a male.
You can tell by the comments here the bus drivers don’t get it. We have disabled tourists insulted. Cruise ships never coming back. Bus drivers striking over whether a “sister” gets a drug test after an accident. You’d think they would look inward and think about whether they could improve things.
And people wonder why tourists don’t find Bermuda welcoming anymore.
I completely agree with that….
Put someone in a blue shirt they think its a police uniform! @ Bermuda Playa: What’s the rules of Bermuda??! I ain’t never had no hand book but um sure kicking handicap people off the bus isn’t a rule…
Absolutely disgusting story. I ride the bus occasionally, when I have to. Otherwise I ride my pedal cycle. I prefer it to dealing with surly bus drivers and selfish passengers. I am disgusted with my people. Bunch of freaks. And to those who cite the rules; the rules are stupid and so are you. Bunch of selfish, surly, self-important, bags-in-the-empty-seat-beside-you, head-stocking-wearing, legs-open-too-wide, cell-phone-talking sociopaths. It is sad.
NOTHING …….. NOTHING will happen the discusting individual of a bus driver. And to all the hecklers, eye cutters and the person that even went as far as to hit the visitor on the legs, you sheeple should be ashamed of your self !!!!!!! Bermudian society is becoming rotten to the core, and you know what they say a fish rots from the head.
Anywhere else you go in the western world there is a space on buses for wheelchairs and strollers, the buses are called low riders and can move up and down and have ramps for wheelchairs to get on. I thought Bermuda was a forward little island. Why did the driver let her on in the first place if it is policy? He saw that she had a wheelchair but no he let them on sit down and then ask them to get off. Bus drivers need a wake up call. I had one cut me off on the road once and then proceeded to give me the bird out of their window when they were in the wrong and I had a month old baby in the car. A lot of them (not all of them) need to go back to drivers ed and get a heart. Anywhere else they would get sued for this kind of discrimination against the disabled.
That is exactly why we as an island are going nowhere but downward. Those are adults acting that way. And they shake their heads and turn their noses to our children as they run around the island acting like maniacs. Well there you have it. LEADING BY EXAMPLE!!!!!
That was so ignorant -_-
I drive the bus, let me just say i am so sorry that Ms.Jeannette Carey went through this ordeal, They need to find out who this bus driver is and deal with it.
let me tell you people something 90% of problems on that job are the women bus drivers, they have a very nasty way about them, and we have a few MALE ones as well
they need to learn how to talk to people and deal with them. This is just sad to hear all of this went on. This island is a sinking ship and there helping it to sink faster with stuff like this.
Once agian Ms.Jeannette Carey I am sorry it had to be like that. I hope you come back to Bermuda and enjoy the island, Have a merry x-mas and a happy newyear.
Your Friendly Bus Driva
Back in May I was riding the bus from Dockyard to Southampton. There was a short, fat lady driving the bus. She drove that thing around corners so fast that we had to hang on to prevent falling out of the seat…no joke! Eventually, near Port Royal, she came upon a Mom & Dad and 2 kids, obvious tourists. She opened the door. Here is the conversation:
Family (all smiles): Hey there, does this bus go to Hamilton?
Driver: Good afternoon.
Family: Yes, hello – just wondering if this bus goes to Hamilton.
Driver: Good AFTERNOON.
Family (confused): Ummm…..yes….does your bus go all the way to….ahhhh… Hamilton??
Driver (raising her voice): Let’s try this ONE more time. GOOOOD AFFFTERRNOOON!!!!
Family: Ah, ummmm….yes….good afternoon….does your bus go to….Ham –
Driver: Yup, get on, I ain’t got all day!
If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. Sure, everyone knows about the “Bermuda Greeting”, but to take it to that level was ridiculous.
I have hear of this “Good Afternoon” stupidness occurring in retail shops as well…. idiots.
I have witnessed this ‘greeting,’ once a courtesy and an acknowledgement of the other’s humanity, being used as intimidation, a bludgeon to beat those not privy to this custom over the head. “Hello” will not do, “Hi” will not do, “How are you” and “Hey” definitely will not do, I’m not sure about the Australian “g’day,” but some residents of this tiny speck really seem to have the expectation that the rest of the world must conform to their extremely rigid ideas of appropriate greetings. Obvious bewilderment on the part of tourists doesn’t elicit gentle explanations but rather an increasingly loud and forceful, aggressive, even angry (and embarrassing for the recipient)repetition of the preferred greeting.
I have seen so many instances of rudeness toward tourists and white people in general, it is clear that the elementary equation – tourists + IB = food on the table + roof over the head – has escaped us.
And there are people who wonder why Bermuda is in the toilet swirling downwards!!
The Good afternoon/good morning/whatever thing is the stuff of Bermuda legend.
I saw this on a No. 7 bus to Barnes Corner at about 5.30pm in the summer.
Pulls up at Horseshoe Bay going west. Lots of tourists waiting in line. The first tourist in line, an elderly lady, gets on and says to the woman driving the bus “Does this bus go to Dockyard?”
Driver: “Get off and look at the front of the bus.”
Tourist: “Huh – sorry – do you go to Dock…?”
Driver (interrupting, irritated, getting louder now): “get off and look at the front of the bus. Tell me what it says.”
This goes on a few times, then the tourist and husband get off, look at the front of the bus, come back on and say “It says Number 7 Barnes Corner. But do you go to Dockyard? I don’t know where Barnes Corner is.”
Driver: “Right. Does it say Dockyard?”
Tourist: “Er, no, but you’re number 7. Are you telling me you don’t go to Dockyard?”
Driver: “You finally got it lady.”
Did you report this driver, because I certainly would have.
Report it – for what purpose? As we found out this summer, as a bus driver you can cause an accident, refuse a drug test, and the government will do nothing at all. It’s a culture of rudeness and laziness.
And that my friends is the public transport system in the Pastel Paradise…..just fire the driver and put her out of her misery
You should have taken her name and she should have been fired on the spot.This”Good afternoon”greeting is just false manners
Dear Bermuda Player; I’m not sure if you’re aware, but it is terribly difficult to secure taxi drivers that are wheel chair accessible. The fact that this family have decided to come to Bermuda and contribute to the economy speaks volumes. How would you feel if the shoe was on your foot or on your spouses foot or one of your children? Would you want some understanding shown to your family? Open up your heart and show some love..
YES!!
BTW –
Does anyone other than me think that “BDA Playa” is the bus driver himself at the heart of this entire situation? Attempting to be a third party showing support for a ridiculously ignorant and foolish stand…..?
I understand that this is an OPTIONAL rule; that the buses DO NOT HAVE TO carry people in wheelchairs – at the driver’s discretion. This silly policy is bound to cause loads of problems, just like the one we are discussing now! It just doesn’t make any ‘logical’ sense that some drivers WILL take a wheelchair, while others WON’T. And the potential to upset physically challenged people is obvious to me, when one bus will take them while another won’t. . Oh-oh, there’s that word’ logical’ again.
Just goes to prove AGAIN that the PLP never met a dumb idea it didn’t like. Proven by all the reversals of shoot-yourself-in-the-foot policy we are now seeing coming from the PLP Gov’t.
My family & I ride the bus sometimes to save on car fuel & help the environment but lately we’ve been sickened seeing what has happened with public transportation in Bermuda. Bums sit at the stops all day long drinking alcohol & urinating there so tourist & locals have no where to sit & wait. We are some of the only ones on the bus that stand up to give elderly, handicap & pregnant women seats. When I was a child the drivers would make the school kids stand & give people who really need a seat one but not anymore. On busses kids are even allowed to swear at the top of their lungs & listen to explicit music through the speakers of there mobile devices. Some drivers will even leave passengers in the dust running for a bus passing a stop 5 minutes earlier than it should and then the next bus is cancelled because they have not organized the drivers properly. People are not reprimanded for eating food on the busses now so there are roaches scurrying passed passengers thriving on crumbs left behind.
For all those people who are surprised – DON’T BE – I face the looks and “irritation” every day when I am in line at the supermarket or trying to wheel myself up the street or heaven forbid take too long to get in my car and it holds up traffic for 10 seconds.
Mrs. Carey I am sorry this has happened to you but as a wheelchair bound Bermudian I also find my country not too handicapped friendly or even tolerant.
Thank you Mr. Furbert for addressing this issue but look a little deeper and see how Bermudians in wheelchairs get treated also.
i have to admit, that i’ve just returned from a holiday in Nassau, Paradise islands and i was SHOCKED by how friendly the people were. to say the least i’ve been in bermuda too long where i expect snide comments or lack of energy when people do their jobs.
i was even in a position where i called the front desk at the hotel and asked for a favor and the lady replied “of course we can, you’re the guest.” a little bit of love goes a long way, and that simple comment made my day. Bermuda, if we want to take the tourist’s money to build ourselves into the empire we once were, we need to start treating them with due respect. they’ve only come here for a good time.the least we can do is give them one.
i agreee that rules are rules, but we’ve broken them many a time before for our aceboys n acegirls, why not for someone who deserves a chance? i agree with comments made earlier, had the driver conducted himself appropriatly and offered alternitave means for the tourist to get around, as well as telling her in a timely fashion, rather than wait for her to struggle up the steps, this situation wouldn’t have been put on blast.
For as long as i live here, i would rather ride, get a lift or walk to my destination. the public transportation is a joke, and MOST of the workers there have no manners. i refuse to give them my hard earned money.
bermudians like bda playa really need a reality check. We constantly alienate international business, guest workers, and tourists because they are in “my country”. Get a clue. If all three of those groups left Bermuda that cushy 1-1 exchange rate with the US dollar would leave as well and we would become a third world country.
Transport Minister Derrick Burgess said he was personally saddened? If he wants to really be personally involved he should try taking the bus once a while to see how passengers wait for buses that are scheduled but never arrive & then get told they can’t get on the next one because its too full of people that were supposed to go on the one before plus others just arriving. All PLP ministers do is talk, talk, talk & then talk some more. They were elected to be servants of the people so we should not be servants of them. Toronto’s mayor takes his transportation system regularly and tries always improve it thats why its one of the worlds best. I bet our minister who’s soul purpose is to keep transportation running smoothly has not taking the pink & blue since he was in high school but is considered to be knowledgeable in these matters.
Disabled people face these types of insults all of the time……if you want to see how its done right go to New York and ride a bus….The driver lowers the bus to ground level and extends a ramp and personally helps the person on board…..people wait patiently until the person in the chair is in place and the driver assists all the way…for all of the talk about “Friendliest people in the world” and that gobbledeegook go see how civilized parts of the world treat the elderly and disabled then get on a bus here…..no wonder we are sinking faster than a stone…..
After reading all of these comments…. WE NEED TO COME UP WITH A GROUP TO RIDE ST. GEO TO DOCKYARD WITH A VIDEO RECORDER IN HAND, TO SHOW THESE NASTY IDIOTS IN REAL TIME!! VIDEO IN HAND WALK DOWN TO VSB TO NAME/SHAME/PUBLICIZE WHAT IS GOING ON DAILY ON THE BUSES AND EXACTLY WHICH DRIVERS ARE RESPONSIBLE…. BLAM! ILL TAKE A COUPLE HOURS OUR OF MY DAY ONCE A WEEK JUST FOR THE SATISFACTION I MIGHT BE ABLE TO SAVE A COUPLE TOURISTS FROM ENCOUNTERING SOME OF THESE INCONSIDERATE A$$hOLE DRIVERS
i agree with this idea to some extent. these drivers need to be recorded and made accountable for their actions, working with the public you need some disgression and most of all some manners, and neither of which are currently being used. i understand that people have bad days, everyone does, but you need to leave that, and the attitude at home.
When did this incident occur, where on Facebook was it posted, was the incident reported immediately? I haven’t read all the comments because I certainly don’t want to waste my time reading everyone’s replies to a fool such as “BDA Playa”!
Really the solution is to make all buses wheelchair or handicap accessible or access to them accessible, we all have a right to public transportation. Unfortunately, we don’t feel the brunt of the obtascles unless we are in the situation ourselves. We need more empathy and less sympathy on this island, always put the shoe on the other foot. Unfortunately, this bus driver is probably not the only person who feels this way about persons with disabilities. We need to remember that persons with disabilities are people too, who have rights. The same Rights to all the things that able bodied persons have. Let us not forget.
Post those videos taken by under cover riders on You Tube and embarrass those nasty drivers,to the world.
They have to be reminded,that the public is their employer and they are no longer going to take crap.
OMG!!! How FREAKIN RUDE Mr Bus Driver. Great ambassador for Bermuda!!!! NOT!
To tell you the truth I am not surprised by the attitude; Bermudians like him think we owe them something. You should be FIRED!!!
the public should go on strike and not use the buses
Not a Wayne Furbert fan but big props for this one…..very nice touch
Disabled Visitor>
Consider making all buses handicap accessible. As well as all public areas. I’ve read Bermuda is not a handicap friendly country. Had the pleasure of living in Bermuda for 4 years. Would like to return, unfortunately I am in a wheelchair now. Perhaps a grant from England could bring Bermuda into the handicap accessable country it should be. Thank you.
If this story is true (and I have no reason to believe that it’s not), it’s yet another nail in Bermuda’s coffin. When I first came to Bermuda 45 years ago, I was overwhelmed by just how friendly the vast majority of its people were: now I’m overwhelmed by just how rude some of its people, both young and not so young, can be!
Re Mary K Madison’s comment, under the UBP Government (although it was by no means perfect) we could have afforded to carry out her suggestion, as at least they ran the country at a profit for the 30-odd years they were in power, but this lot? Talk about “Do as I say, not as I do”: the old comment about organising piss-ups in breweries comes to mind!
Bermuda’s new service motto is “Service With A Snarl”. I stopped riding the local buses 18 years ago after having a run-in with a bus driver on my ride in to work. The bus driver on my last bus ride was so nasty that I vowed to never ride a local bus again….and I haven’t and never will again. I will walk to my destination first.
There is something called the “Letter Of The Law” and then there is something called “Common Sense”. In Bermuda…far to often…the latter is lacking.
Unfortunately unless we as Bermudians have a MAJOR attitude adjustment, we will be the authors of our own demise.
One.
YES IT SOUDS LIKE BDA PLAYA IS THE JACK ASS BUS DRIVER HIMSELF BECAUSE HE IS THE ONLY ONE DEFENDING THE IDIOTS ACTIONS! AS A FRIEND OF JEANETTE I ENCOURAGED HER TO VOICE HER BAD TREATMENT AND I COPIED IT TO FACE BOOK! HEAVEN FORBID BDA PLAYS WAS TO HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER IN A WHEEL CHAIR. WHAT A JERK
I put a short version of what happened to me on Facebook because that’s what we do. We tell our life good and bad on there. A women I met a few years back, Alicea Neen Mzfiest responded to me. She was born in Bermuda, she apologized on behalf of her country. On my behalf she forwarded my story to several people in Bermuda. Obviously, to the right people. I’m grateful to her for her concerns for me, and the handicap. Without her the ball would not have rolled. It was good for Bermuda to find out what happened. Because now they will try and fix the problem. I am grateful to Minister Wayne Furbert for his offer to return to Bermuda at their expense. I was very surprised at the offer and extremely grateful.
I’m glad to hear that….
BDA Playa, you have a reservation at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute, and I hope your stay will be a (very!) long and happy one! I’m sorry, but your comments are ‘WAY over the top as well as being very ungrammatical. If you had a sensible suggestion to make you might be treated with a bit more respect, but I see no sign of that at all: and, to be quite honest, I’m not going to hold my breath waiting.
Hi there, my name is Jeannette Carey and I am the disabled visitor. All these post r abt what happened to me. It has been several years. I am happy to say that after being in a wheelchair for almost six years, I am now walking. It has been a long hard road. I have tried to contact Mr Wayne Furbert with no avail. I would like to take him up on his offer to return to the island. If anyone can help me contact him I would appreciate it. My number is 856-725-8469
Thanks for your comment Ms. Carey, and glad to hear you are walking again! We had a change of Govt since 2011, so Mr. Furbert works in a different capacity now, however we passed your comment on to the relevant officials….Thanks!