Bermuda’s bus operators declared a unanimous vote of no confidence in the Department of Public Transportation’s (DPT) leadership, headed up by Roger Todd.
TNN reports, the motion was forwarded “in the presence of Transport Minister Zane DeSilva, during the meeting held on Monday morning called by the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) with members of the Bus Operators Division at DPT headquarters.
According to the report: “A vote of no confidence was put forward on behalf of the drivers for the Minister to take back to the Ministry as they are the ones responsible for hiring, but the motion was put to the floor to have the director removed because of the rash decisions he has been making such as today wanting 17 people to be allowed on the buses when the agreement made between us was that there would only be nine which is in line with recommendations made by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),” said the source speaking with TNN. “Our buses are only 30 feet long and six feet wide and to protect the operator and passengers and if you do the math there is no way we can safely allow 17 people on the bus.”
It was also stated that bus operators were “incensed by the administration’s apparent unwillingness to adhere to the suggested social distancing guidelines as presented by the CDC which were agreed upon as the best directive moving forward”.
“Still buses are said to be set to resume running on a Sunday schedule with the last buses operating from 11 p.m. in order that essential workers needing transport can utilize the service.”
CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings on buses and says that for bus transit operators, potential sources of exposure include having close contact with a bus passenger with COVID-19, by contacting surfaces touched or handled by a person with COVID-19, or by touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.
Other recommendations include:
• Limit close contact with others by maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet, when possible.
• Consider asking bus passengers to enter and exit the bus through rear entry doors.
• Request passengers avoid standing or sitting within 6 feet of the bus driver.
• Avoid touching surfaces often touched by bus passengers.
• Use gloves if required to touch surfaces contaminated by body fluids.
• Practice routine cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched surfaces, including surfaces in the driver cockpit commonly touched by the operator.
No official word yet from the Minister of Transport, the Ministry or the DPT as of 10:15am this morning.
