Get On The Bus Gus

There’s been plenty of news circulating the web about how cruise passengers arriving in Bermuda are being denied access to public busses leaving from Dockyard, the island’s west end cruise pier. Cruise Critic picked up the story yesterday as did USA Today’s Gene Sloan, who chimed in on his blog, The Cruise Log. According to the report, which originally ran in the Royal Gazette, a Dockyard dispatcher will carefully control tourist numbers on eastbound busses—even refusing seats to passengers on empty busses—to allow more room for locals. The Gazette says the practice is one of several new initiatives the government plans to implement to improve bus travel for locals, since many have complained of being displaced on buses by tourists when cruise ships are visiting. “People find buses go right past them as they are full of cruise ship passengers,” Transport Minister Terry Lister told the newspaper. “It's unfair that buses come out of Dockyard completely full without any room to pick up people along the way.” Unfair maybe, but I find it ludicrous to deny anyone a seat on a public bus—especially visitors who’ve paid good money to get here.

And apparently I’m not the only one who thinks so.

Sloan’s recent post has 131 comments and counting, most of them from angry would-be visitors. Like this one from Charles R: “Perhaps we should stop clogging your pockets with money as well and just stay away!” Or this bit from Thai Big Foot: “Don't go to Bermuda. Are they happy, now?” Or my current favorite, from XULA 96: “The folks on that island must have brain damage from all the sun and salt water. Don't they realize just about all of Bermuda's revenue as an island nation comes from tourism?” Um, yeah, well, I guess not all of us realize it (elected officials I'm talking to you) but thanks for pointing out the obvious! In the government’s defense, a spokesperson told Bernews that “there are also special shuttle buses that are used to supplement the regularly scheduled service. These go directly to Horseshoe Bay Beach and back and are for the cruise passengers only. Each of these buses leaves when completely full.” Fine, but let it be known: If I was visiting a country—one where I couldn’t rent a car, where taxis cost a whopping $4.15 just to open the door and the only other mode of transportation was a rickety 50cc scooter—and someone told me that I couldn’t board an empty public bus because its seats were reserved for locals, I’d say thanks and take my hard-earned tourist dollars elsewhere. Hear that Sounding Board?

What do you think? Should the government deny tourists seats on public busses in favor of locals? Lemme here your thoughts in the comments section below!