Video: Transport Minister On 2018/19 Budget
$3 million has been allocated to purchase of eight new buses, half a million to restart the solar rebate programme, and Marine & Ports and the Public Transportation Department will be moving towards electronic fare collections.
These were a few of the initiatives mentioned as the Minister of Transport and Regulatory Affairs Walter Roban held a press conference this afternoon [Feb 22] to discuss the Budget aspects of his Ministry.
Minister Roban said, “First let me say that some will look at the $62.4 million allocated for my Ministry in the 2018/19 Budget and assume there has been an unexplained and significant cut in funding year-over-year, from the revised 2017/18 total of nearly $94.4 million.
“Of course, this would be comparing apples to oranges, because the Ministry has been restructured, as have been other Ministries.
“Firstly, the numbers reflect a near $30.4-million drop in estimated current account expenditure for the Ministry headquarters, down to almost $14.4 million of anticipated spending. Of that $14.4 million, $13.3 million comprises a grant to the Bermuda Airport Authority.
The 11-minute live video replay is below:
“The difference in current account expenditure is because this Ministry was previously The Ministry of Tourism, Transport & Municipalities, with a different set of spending priorities. We no longer provide a grant to the Bermuda Tourism Authority and are not responsible for funding initiatives such as the World Triathlon Series.
“The largest part of our Budget – $21.6 million – is funding to ensure that Bermuda can have a dependable, public bus service.
“As the Premier stated in the Budget Statement, rebuilding the bus fleet is a priority for this Government as we support public transport and are committed to a reliable, efficient and well-used service.
“To assist with this, the Ministry has also been provided capital acquisition resources of $3 million for the purchase of eight new buses.
“The costs for the Department of Marine and Ports Services are budgeted at $20.25 million. For both Marine and Ports and Public Transportation there will be a move towards electronic fare collections. Public transport must be looking to the future, and a modern fare collection system will be a part of that.
“Spending for the Transport Control Department is expected to be about $5.38 million. During the coming year we will be upgrading TCD systems to enable driving licences and identification cards with embedded smart chips.
“The Department of Energy comes under my Ministry also, and that current account allocation is $783,000. In addition, we have been allocated $500,000 in capital spending to restart the solar rebate programme. This new rebate programme will be targeted at seniors on low or fixed incomes in order to reduce their electricity bills with solar-thermal water heating.
“Elsewhere, $2.5 million in capital spending has been set aside for the Airport Authority for a number of projects including the replacement of the ageing Doppler weather radar system, which in recent times has experienced a number of outages that have resulted in costly repairs.
“The capital spending will also address ongoing code compliance works at the airport. These compliance works include: repairs to the runway apron lighting and upgrades to the airline instrument landing system as well as the security fencing and CCTV.
“Finally, I would like to say that there will be significant steps toward making Bermuda’s roads safer in the coming year, as we seek to curb the bad behaviour too prevalent in Bermuda motoring.
“To that end, the Government will also commit $25,000 to the Bermuda Road Safety Council to establish an effective campaign to influence driver behavior and attitudes on our roads. This is more than twice the $11,000 provided to the Council a year ago.
“We are working with the Police and the Ministry of National Security on a number of fronts to make our roads safer, but we can’t do it without the help of the driving public. We need to exercise better judgement and far more care and caution on the road.”
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What about new bus schedules?
$375,000 per bus?! That’s crazy.
Seems like a lot for a vehicle with a bunch of seats.
$375,000 can buy a pretty nice class A diesel pusher, maybe tag axle, 40′ RV complete with a couple TVs, Bose sound system, diesel generator, 100gal water tank, holding tanks, stainless kitchen appliances & slightly better than mid market for the type finish all round.
Has TCB looked at buying off the shelf production city busses from any one of a number of Asian builders already represented here in Bermuda? No, of course not. Doing anything other than what they have done year after year, buying expensive custom busses is beyond the comprehension capability of the PTB.
Whats crazy is $100 Million for a sailboat race for Billionaires.
24-12. Stop lying. If you can.
“Whats crazy”
You know what’s really crazy…OJ!
It still thinks that spending $60 million (which it calls $100M..because it’s stupid) for a return of over three hundred million is a bad thing. It thinks that ‘losing’ $800 Million is a good thing…clearly it benefited from that. It seems to have an anti Bermuda agenda. How disgusting, sad and pathetic. I’m guessing it’s angry because it’s ugly.
The only logical conclusion here is that OJ is absolutely crazy.
It was not $100m and it returned $335m.
What is crazy is $60m wasted on Grand Atlantic. Who got rich out of that? Like we don’t know.
Wow, that number just keeps rising every time you take another drag on de weed.
If you gave me $100 and I gave you back $500, that’s a good deal right? See you if you can your pea brain around that.
What is crazy is that you can even manage to exist in this big world with your little mind.
I think we should be buying are buses from a Chinese factory cut out the middle man. we can have our mechanics vet the bus customize it for Bermuda. middle men are killing us in every direction.
“Elsewhere, $2.5 million in capital spending has been set aside for the Airport Authority for a number of projects including the replacement of the ageing Doppler weather radar system, which in recent times has experienced a number of outages that have resulted in costly repairs.
“The capital spending will also address ongoing code compliance works at the airport. These compliance works include: repairs to the runway apron lighting and upgrades to the airline instrument landing system as well as the security fencing and CCTV.”
Why wasn’t this included in the Aecon deal? For a contract valued at $274 million OBA could have slipped that 2.5 mil in.
Do you think about what you write “truth “.
Your an a.. at times.
OBA should have put in another $4million for a ten year period of toilet paper.
We are so screwed.
That’s not how capital budgets work.
Is this response about the radar station and Aecon from “Original Truth” for really or is there something not quite right with this individual.
If someone has to explain to him / her why a WEATHER RADAR has nothing to do with the airport, there is no helping them. They have absolutely NOTHING to do with each other? Different service,used for tracking weather patterns not planes, is run by a different department and staff that have nothing to do with each other.
Could be worse I guess, I’m just glad ” The Original Truth” isn’t an air traffic controller.
The problem with Bermuda, aside from the overwhelming racism and bigotry by the majority population, is that they’re uneducated. Willfully ignorant and proud of it….very much like Trump and his followers.
For all we know he could be a Minister.
Tracking the weather has nothing to do with air traffic control? I guess you weren’t taught about aerodynamics and lift and how weather patterns can affect the use of these. No, off coure there’s no need for a WEATHER RADAR when landing a plane. Weather is in the air and not just on the ground. I guess you’ve never heard of a flight being canceled because of the weather? Maybe next time Bermuda’s air traffic control can just ignore the WEATHER RADAR because it has nothing to do with them. Right?
Do you think that repairs to the runway apron lighting and upgrades to the airline instrument landing system have nothing to with the airport also?
I guess the only thing worse than me being an air traffic controller would be you being one. I’ll be the first to admit I wouldn’t be able to direct a flight landing but at least I’d know to confer with the weather station before advising a pilot about entering an airspace with weather patterns that would cause a crash.
My point is that if the OBA had the information about all these repairs that need to be done that the airport relies on why didn’t they work them into the deal with Aecon. Aecon builds all sorts and has a massive amount of resources to do so. They build highways in Israel, nuclear plants in North America and CN Tower with its own built-in WEATHER RADAR. They will collect revenue from our Airport for decades and I’m sure it will be much more than 8 billion a year once they’re done. OBA could have included these other repairs when brokering the deal.
Where are the electric buses?
Electric buses are a bit too ambitious. Hybrid electric would be more phesable, but still that too is too much. They can’t maintain the conventional bus much less anything newer, and with the Regressive Labour Party running the show, we just sit back and wait for the next over priced failure.
Just watch out for more new GP cars too.
Yawn, more hot air. He needs to go..
And why isn’t the ONE new bus still not on the road???? It been more than a month now.
They steel tryin too figure out how to put deesil hin it.
Pluss de startin cord broke…………….
Continue to persevere on, P.L.P.
You are doing a fantastic and great job for Bermudians!!
BERMUDIANS first!!!!
Wow you are easily pleased.
Get lost PLP you suck!!!!!!
You can’t service and care for the ones you have!
Can you?
I can’t hear you…Well can you?
Why waste this money?