Transport and Tourism Minister Ewart Brown last night promised a better bus service to St. David?s islanders.

His pledge came at a public meeting which heard of a young woman getting mugged in front of her two children because she could not get a bus home.

Resident Grace-Ann Fox told Dr. Brown the attack took place the day after her Route 6 minibus service in St. David?s ended in October 2004.

?She was beaten so badly by men her children had to flee,? she said.

The meeting at the Clearwater Middle School Gymnasium was supposed to revolve around service adjustments to the No. 6 bus.

However, years of frustration erupted as another resident said her 11-year-old son was twice mugged and stranded without his bus pass.

?One time my friend saw him and took him home,? she said. ?The other time a bus driver who had knocked off kindly dropped him off.? Dr. Brown apologised. ?Just from what I know and what I?ve heard I feel safe in concluding that St. David?s has been under-served,? Dr. Brown said.

He said the British colonial experience left a system that ?the people are supposed to fit the schedule as opposed to having a schedule that fits the people?s needs?.

?We have to do a much better job of monitoring your needs,? he said.

?You pay for this service. You pay for it and it is up to us to figure out how to get to you the best way we can get it to you. ?I am now injecting myself personally into this project,? he said.

?I know there are people here tonight who have told stories that are just making simple events that have happened, but the general flavour is a flavour of being inadequately served.?

Dr. Brown said St. David?s was ?tailor made? for a mini-bus service and that he yesterday signed a document that would lead ?to the entire mini-bus service in Bermuda having the chains taken off of their hands?.

He also hinted that a new 350 passenger ferry due to arrive in August would not leave St. David?s behind.

PTB Director Dan Simmons promised that a St. David?s service up to 9 p.m. would soon start, weekly trips would increase to 30 and a long term plan was to move the St. George?s bus depot to St. David?s.

Another meeting was scheduled for July 25.