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Shipping agent applauds Minister’s buses pledge

The shipping agent responsible for 17 cruise ships that will call on Bermuda this season has welcomed news that public transportation glitches will be sorted in time for the new season.Joseph Simas, vice president of Marine Operations at Meyer Agencies Limited, told The Royal Gazette: “I applaud the Minister of Transport for the pledge ‘buses will be better’ hopefully this year everything works out for the better.”He was responding to the report published yesterday that Government is pulling out all the stops to ensure buses are up to full complement.The commitment made by Transport Minister Derrick Burgess comes after Bermuda made international news headlines last year. Angry cruise ship passengers were left stranded without adequate public transportation to get around during their stopovers.Mr Simas, in follow up to the report, said: “Last year in May it was chaos in Dockyard with ships arriving and not enough lift to take guests to beaches or for tours. Minister Burgess has advised that bus tours this year will be available for any amount of time requested, which is a great positive step.”Meyer Shipping represents the lion’s share of cruise ships, bringing in some 335,000 passengers to Bermuda this year.Mr Simas noted: “When guests disembark cruise ships the first thing most look for is transportation. Guests either want to go shopping, go on a tour, or visit one of Bermuda’s beautiful beaches.“So we have to make sure that our transport, either taxis, ferries or buses are all ready to transport guests to whatever location they wish to go.”The first cruise ship arrives on March 4 from New York with an estimated 1,071 passengers who will disembark at Heritage Wharf in Dockyard for a one night stay.