Bus Cancellations For Saturday, March 28th
The cancellation of bus runs continues, with the Department of Public Transportation providing the list of bus service cancellations for tomorrow, Saturday, March 28th.
On March 9th the Ministry of Tourism Development & Transport said an “offer was presented to bus drivers to pay all overtime at time and a half,” however the drivers made a decision “to reject the payment of overtime at time and a half.”
Dan Simmons, the Director of Public Transportation said, “Currently the bus service is running with minimal disruptions. However, we are not in a position to pay double time for operators who will be asked to work on their days off so we do anticipate that there may continue to be occasional cancellations.”
Speaking at a press conference on March 10, BIU President Chris Furbert laid out the position of the drivers, saying they were concerned about whether the double-time for time and a half was in place across the whole of Government, the taxpayer funded Tourism Authority staff getting bonuses, and other matters.
Mr Furbert said that drivers have also been on a wage freeze since 2011, they gave up 19 months of furlough days, and noted that for 6 months in 2011, the BIU government workers worked overtime for straight time.
The list of cancellations for Saturday follows below:
- 1 – Hamilton – Grotto Bay – 9:45am – 10:45am
- 1 – Grotto Bay – Hamilton – 10:40am – 11:40am
- 1 – Hamilton – St. George’s – 10:15am – 11:15am
- 1 – St. George’s – Hamilton – 8:52am – 12:52pm
- 2 – Hamilton – Ord Road – 10:15am
- 2 – Ord Road – Hamilton – 10:45am
- 3 – Hamilton – Grotto Bay – 10:15am
- 3 – Grotto Bay – Hamilton – 11:00am
- 7 – Barnes Corner – Hamilton – 9:04am – 9:34am
- 7 – Hamilton – Dockyard – 12:30pm
- 7 – Dockyard – Hamilton – 1:50pm
- 8 – Hamilton – Barnes Corner – 8:30am – 9:00am
- 8 – Dockyard – Hamilton – 6:45am
- 11 – Hamilton – St. George’s – 7:45am – 8:30am – 11:45am
- 11 – St. George’s – Hamilton – 8:30am – 11:30am – 12:30pm
The Olympic Torch.
Think about it.
What happens when the cruise ships start next week ….who gets preference for buses locals or tourist
Hopefully Mini buses and taxis
I wonder how Bermuda’s bus drivers’ holiday benefits compare to those in Greece, Germany or France.
Or, more to the point, their sick days.
Talk about cutting off their noses to spite their face.
Sorry. there is more to this than we the “dumb general public” are meant to believe. It smacks of union / plp anti govt BS. It has to stop. If i made up as many excuses to not get my job done i may not be fired as I am a Bermudian and it is owed to me B** S***. I don’t even bother to take my trash down on Tuesday east pick up day because it just doesn’t happen. Hell lucky to get Friday pick up before 5.00pm. Re buses glad I have 2 legs that work so i can at least get somewhere., Kinda reminds me of the ferry breakdown situation. INCOMPETENCY isn’t an excuse. Nor is blindness to a finance problem thrust upon us by a previous administration.
This is getting so boring
Drivers Do you want to make a wage or not? There are a lot of people unemployed.
They are making a wage and a good one. They have just been told to use up their sick days in protest. I just hope that those of you playing this game never find out what it is like to me unemployed, in need, or heaven forbid sick with cancer, a stroke or some other serious illness.
As someone who lost their job a long time ago I’d be over the moon to be getting time and a half in this economy .
Especially if I was a civil servant and in light of the shaky (disastrous)financial position that government is in .
This is starting to become sickening. Time and Half is not good enough in this economy huh? Better than no time at all, but greed will prevail. Please please privatize.
People busy making plans for next weekend needing to shop, drs appointments, Grotto Bsy’s guests and locals who need the no 1 bus those bus drivers doing the negative need to STOP .
Please spare a thought for our poorly bus drivers. I know how I felt when I had a dicky tummy and I hope they all get better soon.
All you unemployed moaners need to keep quiet. Its ok for you, you don’t have to call in sick – you can just stay home!
That this matter is unresolved and appears to be accepted is in itself unacceptable. I stand to be corrected.
Just a quick look but anyone else notice that some of the runss cancelled will inconvenience the most e.g. 10:40 & 11:40 Grotto Bay to Hamilton, just when guests are most likely to need transport to town after breakfast, & 8:52 St Georges to Hamilton, just when those working in town need transport the most.
Anyone who thinks that this is not a coordinated effort to disrupt & put pressure on Government better look carefully at which runs are cancelled & which are unaffected.
Well past time to privatise the bus services & ferrys. This nonsense has to stop.
I understand the drivers complaints they dont want to be the only ones sacrificing. There is no shared sacrifice so why doesn’t government fix this first. What’s the problem?
Please give us your definition of ‘shared sacrifice’ and who exactly in your view isn’t sacrificing .
There is no shared sacrifice. The drivers have guaranteed jobs, 6 weeks vacation, 14 weeks sick, and index linked pensions. What sacrifice are they making?
The bus driver payroll is $13million per year,the earn over $90,000.00 a year each.
They are paid $45.00 an hour and dont want to work overtime @$67.50 an hour they want $90.00 an hour.So life cannot be so bad if they can hold out for the $90.00 Beside thrre 14Weeks sick leave and a much longer paid vaccation than anyone in the private sector gets and dont forget the pension and health..
45 an hour is incorrect as they only make just over $1000 a week and with deductions it adds up to about $850
13Million a year payroll and Millions more in overtime besides new busses and suport staff and fuel to keep the busses running.
And how much revenue do the Busses take in,in fares………..maybe $300 to $400,000.
SO you can see how the TAXPAYER is getting RIPPED OFF by atleast $16/$17 Million per year.
Time to stop the madness and the recuring DEBT
PRIVITIZE.
What we need to privitize is the Tourism Authority .
If private transport companies do a good job a growing portion of the transportation service will be defacto privatized and a percentage of bus drivers will be looking for work with those businesses.