Questions raised over suspended Road Town shuttle service
Questions have been raised over the suspension of the Road Town shuttle service, with radio hosts calling on the government to explain the status of the vehicles and restore the service.
The issue arose during a discussion on public infrastructure and services on the Talking Points radio programme, hosted by Elvin Grant, Damion Grange and Violet Gaul.
Grant said a member of the public had approached him about the shuttle service and asked that the matter be raised on the programme. He claimed that all the shuttle vehicles had broken down because of a lack of maintenance.
Grant recalled that the shuttle system was introduced through the Ministry of Communications and Works and said it had become a useful service for residents and visitors travelling through Road Town.
“They were useful for the old age pensioners to get around town to do errands for persons that were coming from the sister islands into Road Town. They could move around… And tourists without incurring a taxi fee,” Grant stated.
He said the service was no longer operating and urged the government to examine the circumstances surrounding its suspension.
The government launched electric shuttles under the Road Town Park and Ride initiative in February 2022. The vehicles operated on weekdays from 7 am to 6 pm, departing from designated starting points every 15 minutes and serving more than 20 locations.
The programme followed an earlier shuttle initiative launched in June 2020, which provided free transportation to 41 designated stops. The service was intended to ease traffic congestion and help make Road Town more pedestrian-friendly.
However, in a bulletin issued on July 29, the government announced that the shuttle service was operating on reduced hours before being suspended from August 6 until further notice.
The government said the suspension was necessary to allow the vehicles to undergo essential mechanical repairs and maintenance.
Gaul directly appealed to the Works Minister to have the service restored.
“So, Minister, please, we’re appealing to you to get the shuttle system back up and running,” Gaul stated.
“Persons have come to rely on it,” Grant added.
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Another failed undertaking by who has to be the absolute worst C&W Minister in the history of the Virgin Islands, Even Fraser with BI-Water and streetlights in the roundabout did better than this guy, total failure, how much more can the VI take.
History will show that Kye has produced. No drama, no heap a talk. Just head down and work. We finally fixed the east end long look sewerage. We got water flowing again and the work to fix the water issue is only just beginning. Our roads are getting better and I can go on. Face the facts and stop with the political emotions
How dare you compare Kye with fraser , who put traffic light at a roundabout , u have us in this water crisis because of biwater deal… Kye is doing a good job , he is working with the resources available to him , he is not the finance minister . Kye is a capable minister of C&W .
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
It didn’t make sense from the beginning…all it does was make people lazy and the overweight people more overweight…go get some excercise and walk around town… I see a lady going to banco popular and reach by Bobby’s and stand there waiting on the rides and she was big and fat I have to tell her that’s a easy walk…don’t bring them back let the lazy people walk..watse a taxpayer money. Use the money to fix the roads..
Wasn’t this a pilot programme? All projects are subject to review and should be reviewed.
It’s easy to criticize when a public service hits a road block, but let’s not forget the facts. The Works Minister had the guts to do what no other Works Minister before him had done, which is, introduce a FREE public shuttle service in Road Town, knowing full well that it would ruffle the feathers of taxi operators.
Everyone knows that the show “Talking Point” and this news media, BVI News is anti-government. This election cycle is teaching me that most people don’t form opinions based on observations and facts; they form them based on 1-2 minute sound bites they see on social media.
Honestly, I don’t think “Talking Point” is actually concerned about the shuttle buses. Kye had the guts to do what other politicians wouldn’t. He inherited years of bad infrastructure, but he is working to fix it one step at a time. What I don’t see “Talking Point” doing is speaking about any of the successes or improvements. They only focus on the negatives.
When Kye first introduced the shuttles, everyone was up in arms. When he decided to make the two main roads in town one-way, everyone was up in arms. When he made the end of Main Street leading to the Methodist cemetery a two-way road to alleviate the afternoon traffic bottleneck, everyone was up in arms again. None of the criticism made sense, and yet every major move he has made has proven to be a good one, yet you don’t hear a word about the success of those decisions.
I’m not saying he does everything perfectly, but he has a proven track record of keeping his head straight and getting the work done. The taxi was a pilot project. A notice was put out that the service would be on a temporary pause so the shuttles could be serviced. You even mentioned it in your own news article. What more do you want? Now you’re making a headline and a whole discussion out of that? What part of “temporary pause for service” don’t you understand?
You all are so hypocritical. If he had just pulled them off the road without notice, you would have complained that the public wasn’t notified. Now that he has done that, you’re crying because you want to know when they’re coming back. You all need to sit down somewhere and actually find something of substance to report. I am so sick of all these news stations. Kye seems to be the one you all have energy for, but he’s actually working. How come you haven’t discussed his recent initiative to fix the water capacity in the territory, something the previous NDP government didn’t do? He has fixed the road from the airport all the way down to town, and the road from the West End ferry terminal all the way to town. He promised that 38 miles of road would be fixed, and it is happening, slowly but surely.
And imagine, he does all this, yet still receives the harshest public criticism, and this man still shows up for his district and community, attends every funeral, and remains polite. If you ask me, Kye would be ten times a better Premier than all these other politicians put together, provided he surrounds himself with a great advisory team. This man has guts; he can take the blows, maintain a good spirit, and still show up. If you really want to know the quality of a person, look at how they handle criticism. Honorable Kye, keep your head up! There are more for you than against you.
I’m behind you 150%. All they’re doing is complaining, while he’s focused on actually getting things done. Criticism without solutions is just noise.
if it was a programme for the cruise ship passengers it would be maintained and running
Let them walk, the program should have been set up only for the elderly as a ACCESS A RIDE OR MOBILITY FOR THE SENIORS/DISABILITY TO GET AROUND ROAD TOWN WHEN THEY ARE IN TOWN. TO MANY FAT LAZY PEOPLE WAS YAKING ADVANTAGE WHEN THEY CAN WALK.
Tortola have to many fat lazy people. They need to walk and burn off some of that fat and stop stuffing their faces and drinking sodas. Drink more water, squeeze lemon and lime juice in your water and drink that. Eat in moderation rather than stuffing your face with the fry foods and the sweets.
the problem is the amount of batteries those things use, ask facilities how many they have ran through in the years since its been operating, its not sustainable
This includes men and women. A walk from the moorings to slaney is a good walk. A walk from Albion to pleasant valley is a good walk. A walk from Hannah to the ferry dock is a good walk. A walk up and down elevator hill is a good walk. A walk up Zion hill down towards Carrot Bay is a good walk.
Let me ask you all: who fixed the three main sewerage plants in the Virgin Islands? He handled years of neglect in Long Look and is now working on East End. The Cane Garden Bay plant was finally fixed and commissioned, and he addressed the issue at Butt Point where sewage had been dumped off Slaney for years, yet you all don’t say a word about that.
Let me ask you: what about Market Square? It was in a dilapidated state for years, and he repaired it. What about all the washed-out roads that have already been fixed? You used to complain about the plywood along the roadsides, but now where are you? You’re silent. And let me ask you, what did Mark accomplish besides the cruise pier? If the roads had been handled by any other Minister, they wouldn’t be in the state they are today. He even added road infrastructure for extending turning lanes into Pasea and at Treasure Isle, why didn’t any of you ask why nobody else did that?
And let me ask you all: who paid the outstanding 1.4 million dollar debt inherited by Communications and Works that was left behind by the previous NDP administration? Do you really think people are going to work if they are owed money?
You are so focused on tearing this man down that you fail to see all the things that were neglected for years actually being done. If I had the chance to advise him, I’d tell him to be more boastful. I’d tell him to make sure every single thing he does is in the news. You should have the same energy for these other people claiming they want to contest elections and run this country. Half of them would crumble under pressure and waste the government’s money because they have no clue about government spending or projects. Why don’t you interview all 13 of them? Go ask them what their actual plans for the BVI are. Go ask Chad! Go ask Sandy, who doesn’t seem to be stable, what is their solution? Let me guess, just like you, none! All you can do is talk about the problems the past leaders you voted for created. You have no energy for the 5 million dollar plane, but you have all the energy in the world for him.
Get solar powered shuttles with battery backups instead. Also, maybe make some pedal powered so the occupants (like in the Flintstones) can exercise and it’s a win-win!!