We have been visiting Bermuda at least once per year for the past 15 years and were very concerned to read your stories recently on the possible cutback of the ferry services.

We and many other regular tourists look forward to the ferry rides as one of the best parts of our visit. We depend on the ferries for transportation as well as sightseeing, since we and many other tourists do not ride mopeds, and the bus routes are not convenient to all areas. Some of us are too old or not otherwise physically able to take the 20 minute, sidewalk-less walk to the nearest bus stop on Middle Road.

I understand that economics often dictate, but it seems to me that eliminating ferry service, or cutting it back to the point where it becomes inconvenient to use, eventually will cost you more money than you will save because of dwindling tourism, which also needs some serious work to reverse.

We know that the Palm Reef, Belmont, and Glencoe hotels are no longer open, but there are still many guests staying in the Salt Kettle and Hodson's area who depend on the ferry for transportation and sightseeing. If you lose them, you once again begin another domino effect of losses.

Without the ferries visitors will have one less thing to do. Convenient and reasonably priced transportation is critical. In fact, we wonder why you don't have additional stops between Belmont and the famous drawbridge.

In short, we urge Bermuda's leaders to keep an eye on the bigger picture.

Economies are booming in the US and elsewhere and visitors will want to come back to Bermuda. If, little by little, Bermuda eats away at its charms and services, it will lose much more than the amount saved by cutting the ferry service.

ROBIN SHERMAN Atlanta, Georgia