Dear Editor,

The bus system is, has been, and will continue to be a saviour for many Antiguans as sometimes, a ride in a personal vehicle is just not feasible. Hence, many Antiguans rely on the bus system as one of their main sources of transport.

However, as with all things, it is far from perfect.

Those of us that have been able to travel overseas and used foreign bus systems would notice that our local one is a bit… inconsistent. It does what it is supposed to do, but there are a couple things that need to be addressed.

For example in the US, no matter which part of the area you live in, there will always be a bus scheduled to stop close to you within designated times. Although the city is the busiest and hence would have the most buses at any time, those in the countryside will still be able to rely on a bus to pass.

In Antigua though, it seems that the buses pass “whenever they feel” for lack of a better term. If you live somewhere on Factory Road for example, you can count on at least 3 buses to pass on average within the hour. However if you live in the eastern or southern parts, you would be lucky to get 1 in 3 hours. If we had scheduled times, then it would not only be more convenient for passengers but also look highly professional.

Another thing I would like to address is routes. This goes hand in hand with scheduling in terms of convenience. As previously stated, those living in the eastern and southern parts of Antigua find it difficult to reliably catch a bus not only because timing, but because of location. As you get closer to St John’s, the roads which buses pass on and the frequency with which they pass increase.

For a reliable system, this should not be the case. All routes should have a balanced frequency of buses and all major locations should be covered, regardless of population density.

This next issue in my opinion is the biggest one. Do the bus conductors really have to wait for the bus to fill before they take off? I understand they have a quota they need to reach but oftentimes, meeting that quota involves waiting…and waiting…and waiting… for just 2 or 3 more seats.

I can’t begin to put a number on the amount of times I’ve been held up in going to locations along my daily commute. Solely because, the bus conductor needed 1 more seat. I think a lot of the conductors also compete with each other to carry the most passengers, and this results in passengers (the people who this system was made for) getting overlooked.

An alternative would be, to go down the route of the school bus system and make the conductors’ pay be independent of the number of people that actually use the bus.

However, implementing a change like this would require a total overhaul of the current system. As it is right now, anyone with some money can purchase a bus and put it on the road. Be that as it may, with this new system the government would be in control of all the public transport on the road.

I understand many would be opposed to this system as it interferes with people’s pockets. However, I strongly believe that the government has more than enough money to go through with it. If we object to these plans because of the money in peoples’ pockets, then I am afraid we have truly lost the point of having a public transport system.

With concern,

A victim of the bus system