An operator of the St. David?s minibus service, which has been shut down for a month, marched on Parliament last week to present a petition with signatures of 600 concerned residents asking for its reinstatement.

And The Royal Gazette has learned that a PTB boss called the need for more transport in St. David?s ?critical?, saying: ?The residents have to walk an inordinate distance to catch a bus.?

Route 6 driver Grace-Ann Fox said that she marched on Parliament during the Throne Speech last Friday to ask why the Ministry of Transport would not subsidise the service that she said is vital to St. David?s residents.

She also presented a petition with over 600 St. David?s residents? names on it to Shadow Transport Minister Jamahl Simmons.

?Due to the lack of Government financial support, Route 6 was forced to close operation,? the petition said. ?This negatively affects the community and/or senior residents who had begun to rely upon the form of transportation.?

Last month Mrs. Fox asked for less than $5,000 per month to hire an extra staff member in order for the service to continue.

Mrs. Fox said the Ministry told her that they did not subsidise minibus services, however, the Rockaway minibus service receives a subsidy of $20,000 per month.

?There is no question of preferential treatment,? Permanent Secretary of Transport Marc Telemaque said last month.

He said a fuel subsidy of $120 per week was offered for Route 6, on the condition that they transported senior citizens free of charge.

Since the minibus has been closed, Mrs. Fox said seniors are often stuck insides their homes, unable to make the long walk to the bus stop.

?I marched because people need answers,? she said. ?Government have not said yet said yea or nay (on reviving the service).?

News of the march arrived hot on the heels of a proposed road development in St. David?s that promises to allow more buses into the area.

In the document soon to be put on display for public comment, the Bermuda Land Development Company (BLDC) said that ?the pedestrian entrance connecting Texas Road to Southside could soon be expanded to allow full traffic access, and provide the means to an improved bus service?.

It continued: ?A design has been developed and approved by the Highways Engineers of W&E and BLDC... The Public Transportation Board is particularly interested in such a connection to improve the public bus service for both St. David?s and Southside.?

PTB Director Dan Simmons said in the document: ?I?ve been anticipating (opening the gateway to St. David?s) since the US Navy left the Island. It?s now critical because people live on Southside. The residents have to walk an inordinate distance to catch a bus. When the road, is opened I?ll be able to provide scheduled service to the people of Southside.?

However, Mrs. Fox questioned how long it would take this road to be opened and what seniors in St. David?s were supposed to do in the meantime.

And she said that the new road would not affect the minibus business ?because children and the elderly need to get to their doors?.

?There are some elderly people who live all the way down to Ballast Point Road,? she said. ?People are really concerned. The seniors here want to get out. They are all shut down right now. I still get phone calls that say ?please come out to the gate?. I tell them that I want to come but I can?t.?

The minibus issue was due to be raised in the House of Assembly yesterday, The Royal Gazette understands, however, Mrs. Fox is currently off the Island.

In last week?s Throne Speech, Government said that they were going to create more minibus services in ?continuation of the feeder commuter bus pilot scheme similar to the successful pilot project introduced in Warwick earlier this year?.

However, St. David?s MP, Suzann Roberts-Holshouser noted: ?If what is meant by continuation is the acknowledgement of the requirement of the community of St. David?s, then (Government should) retract their decision not to help.

?And, in a social manner similar to the theme of the Throne Speech, enable the Route 6 minibus to once again service the community... But in the interim we should never have been left with no transportation at all.?