A 90 per cent pass mark set for Project Ride applicants was not achieved last year due to their inexperience on pedal cycles, the Senate heard yesterday.

Mischa Fubler, the junior transport minister, made the claim during the ministries debate in the Upper House.

He told the Senate that the failure was partially because of the increasing number of 15-year-old children who registered for Project Ride having no experience riding a pedal cycle.

He said: “To achieve this objective for the next fiscal cycle, instructors now request that parents enrol their children after learning to ride a pedal cycle, which is a much safer approach.”

A sum of $6 million was allocated for the Transport Control Department, with $268,000 set aside for road safety.

Mr Fubler said one of the key deliverables of the Government’s five-year road safety strategy was the enhancement of the Project Ride programme for youth licence applicants to undergo training and final practical exams on public roads.

He said that during the last fiscal cycle, a new instruction manual was produced for applicants.

As a result, the on-road instructions and examinations component to enhance the programme are scheduled to commence this year.

In the 2022 Speech from the Throne, the Progressive Labour Party Government proposed amendments to the Auxiliary Bicycles Act 1954 to create a learner’s permit and to provide for on-road instructions and examinations for people seeking a bike licence.

Under the government-run Project Ride programme, training is provided to students approaching their sixteenth birthday.

The training takes place in the TCD parking lot, with no on-road component.

Legislation dictates that all motorcyclists must gain their full licence before getting on the road, unlike car drivers, who experience the realities of the road before licensing.

Mr Fubler, who is also the junior tourism minister, told the Senate that the cruise ship schedule for the year has 190 cruise ship calls listed.

He said that for the 2027 season, 180 calls are already booked.

He added: “These figures, though subject to change, demonstrate a strong and growing interest in Bermuda as a cruise destination.”

Mr Fubler also said there had been a 50 per cent reduction in complaints from users of the public transport system.

He said the target of 30 per cent reduction of serious vehicle incidents was achieved while the department experienced increased ridership from the public.

Marcus Jones, the Opposition Leader in the Senate, questioned how many vacation rental properties were now on the island.

He also asked whether the island’s tourism statistics showed a recovery to their pre-Covid levels.

Mr Fubler said air visitor volumes have not “returned to 2019 levels”, while hotel capacity remains at 75 per cent of pre-Covid levels.

He said there was an average of 440 units available for rent per month in 2024.

In 2019, the figure stood at 609 per month.