Public Transport Board says ‘no’ to bus fare hike
(CNS): Local bus fares will not be increasing this month, despite a notice printed and circulated by drivers indicating a CI$1 or $1.50 hike from 12 September, as the rise has not been officially approved. Following inquiries by CNS about the notices posted on buses and circulated on social media, the Ministry of Tourism and Transport released a statement on Friday evening stating that the Public Transport Board (PTB) had not granted the request for a price increase on public bus fares.
“Acting swiftly to quell rumours of a fare increase, the PTB has today notified all omnibus drivers and operators that the notices advertising unauthorised fare increases must be taken down immediately,” a release from the ministry said. “The board further stated in its correspondence to public transport operators that noncompliance with this directive will be promptly addressed and could have adverse consequences.”
The release noted, “The Public Transport Board has received a request to increase public bus fares. However, given the impact that a fare increase could potentially have on the community and on the cost of living, the request is being carefully considered and no decision has been made at this time.”
Bus fares have not increased for 20 years but the proposed $1 hike between George Town and West Bay or Bodden Town and an increase of $1.50 between George Town and the Eastern Districts would have impacted low-paid workers significantly. Minimum wage earners living in East End or North Side who work in George Town earn $48 for an eight-hour day. With the proposed bus fare increase they would have had to spend $10 (almost 21% of their income) getting to and from work each day.
| Route | Approved bus fares | Bus fares that drivers want |
| George Town – West Bay | CI$2.00 / US$2.50 | CI$3.00 / US$3.75 (+$1) |
| George Town – Bodden Town | CI$2.00 / US$2.50 | CI$3.00 / US$3.75 (+$1) |
| George Town – East End | CI$3.50 / US$4.37 | CI$5.00 / US$6.25 (+$1.50) |
| George Town – North Side | CI$3.50 / US$4.37 | CI$5.00 / US$6.25 (+$1.50) |
| George Town – Cayman Kai | CI$8.00 / US$10.00 | |
| Bus Service around GT | CI$2.00 / US$2.50 |
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Category: Business, Local News, Transport
lets face facts and reality here.
there is no-one in cig or the civil service with the ability or qualifications to address public transport issues on island.
if you can’t accept this, we cannot move on.
Cayman will only have Caymanian style buses and drivers. Get used to terrible service and getting ripped off. This is due to Cayman having only Caymanian style Government. Reread the second sentence. Most important part is get used to it.
Lets get things in perspective here.
When the so called public buses actually obey the traffic law, using indicators, no high beam at 5am in morn, no sudden stopping for no reason, obeying the speed limit etc,
I might have some sympathy for them.
In the other countries they are known as the suicide squad…any dollar no matter what the cost.
BTW…..where are the police while this is going on?
Great way to keep a surplus Mr. Panton
As usual a large group of low paid people are paying for the wealth of a few.
A friend of mine moved to the u few weeks ago, doing the exact same caretaking job. She makes 3 times the money and prices are half, compared to here.
The problem is the greed and stupid government.
It is true yes that the raise of 15+% was brought about in January 2021 by the previous government, the PPM. But several members of the current government were backbenchers then and voted in favour of it. This was a raise for persons in government who are the highest paid (most, if not all, making $10,000 per month or more!) and now we are to believe they are worried about the lowest paid? If they are really concerned we would have a proper bus service in place! And the minimum wage would be at least doubled! The current bus drivers have the worst road manners for sure yes! But the real problem is government allows for this! No proper scheduled service and no enforcement of how or where the bus drivers pick up or drop off or pull out into oncoming traffic! Still, no raise in 20 years is quite a record, especially given today’s cost of living / inflation!
Need:
-REAL busses (ie, an actual “bus” not a cramped van) with WiFi
-Proper bus stops (why, for example, is there not a bus bay in the Camana Bay parking lot, where over 3,000 live and work?).
-Free or subsidized fares during morning and evening commute (tend to be disproportionately lower income workers, but also encourage others so traffic is taken off roads).
-Park and ride services (a parking lot in various places, eg Savannah etc), where can drive from the various arterial roads to the central lot, and then the rest of the journey is stress free on a comfortable bus, reading, listening to music, or catching up on work or emails.
-GPS tracking on an app. This is a no-brainer. Bus/Uber/taxi tracking goes on everywhere.
Excellent suggestions. WIFI may be pushing it but 100% agree with everything else.
Excellent and some of these are easy enough to implement!
I love seeing all the comments wanting a more premium service and identifying more robust public transportation infrastructure as a means of achieving it.
Are any of you ready to say the “t word” that may be needed to accomplish this lofty goal?
Right, because a billion dollar budget with routine 100M plus surpluses for a tiny island isn’t enough revenue to implement a reasonable public bus system with about 3 routes.
Yep. Taxes are a MUST, if we want proper infrastructure!!
In fairness the price of gas and diesel have increased. Afraid this must be reflected in the bus fare.
As the service has not improved in 20 years, this seems fair.
You seem to have s car.
You want to spent 21% of your income on transportation ?
I spent it on education. You should try it.
After we are all educated and wealthy, who will clean your house and your yard ?
You miss the bigger picture.
I clean my own house and yard. I was raised not to rely on the slave labour of others.
Bus drivers should be civil servants, on a salary and weekly/monthly/annual bus passes should be sold to the public by government.
Properly trained bus drivers on proper buses, yes.
If gross vehicle mass (GVM) equal to or less than 4,500 kg, one must hold an appropriate C (car) class driver’s license (the US) and obtain a Passenger Transport Driver authorisation from the Department of Transport (Australia) plus passing a background check and drug screen.
Cannot wait unti the new big buses arrive. Remember we have no bus stops so buses will just block the road and make it impossible to pass. I believe this is called putting the cart before the horse. Wake up CIG.
Big new buses? Public transportation system includes: full size buses, certified drivers, maintenance facilities, repairs facilities, daily cleaning and inspection, parts department, dispatch, tickets sale, bus stops. Did I miss anything? Probably.
add
Logistics management
People management
Fuel management
Maintenance management
In other words the entire public transit service system must be created from the scratch. Ask how they did it in Bermuda or Barbados
.
At least if they do that it will result in jobs for Caymanians that result in a benefit of the general public unlike the hundreds of government jobs thay serve no practical purpose other than to give someone a job.
Most bus drivers are Jamaican. That’s the first problem needs sorting.
…Professionalism. (They key element most lacking in Cayman).
YES Insurance. Good points anyway.
Why the need to jump to big buses? Wouldn’t the busses used by the tour companies here be a big improvement?
Seems easy that there should be an East End park and ride, Newland etc and these size busses carry people in to town.
there seems to be a disconnect here, – the image on the ‘public notice’ shows a roomy purpose built transit vehicle potentially stopping at a designated stop zone. Are the drivers getting ready to stage something no-one knows about and hence the increased fee or is this the drivers living up to the perceived mentality of our roads our buses we’ll do and charge what & when we want to ? PTB, help us out, or does this circle back to Kenny ? 🚌🤑
According to the report, the Public Transport Board is still considering the request. They haven’t said no as yet.
Much confusion comes from judging economic policies by the goals they proclaim rather than the incentives they create.
https://www.gov.bm/department/public-transportation
https://www.gotobermuda.com/article/getting-around-bermuda-on-buses-ferries
Bermuda Public transportation.
Cayman is decades behind when it comes to the Public Transportation System
This would imply we have a public transportation system today. As this article (and more so the comments, really) make clear – this clusterf@ck is a purely private enterprise, masquerading as a public service.
04 @ 4:39 pm – Some 10-12 years ago I made a presentation to the Public Transport Board on the Bermuda transport model, including suggestions to meet with the pertinent Bermuda officials, whose contacts I proffered to the Board, along with photos of the Hamilton depot, buses, road & ferry schedules and other data.
… of course they ignored me.
Hey Stran Bodden, you remember?
You’ll know who I am!
Public transportation does not exist in Grand Cayman.
Dissolve this arrangement already. Invest in proper buses with wifi service. GPS tracked for accountability, and convenience of ridership. Government employed. Rare time I think this should be a public service vs slapstick private disaster we have today.
Our public buses already have WIFI….
When the drivers set it up*
Simple fact of the matter is that government does not care. If they implemented a structured bus system the leeches which are currently running “taxis” would take a hit. The two biggest rip offs in Cayman are mudslides and the taxi service. Get these mini vans off the road , put a proper bus system in place and reduce traffic overall. It’s pretty much a no Brainer, but then again government just implements things that don’t make sense.
Is there a schedule of fares for taxi drivers and is why aren’t they required to list it in their cabs?. Also they should be mandated to post their photo and ID in their vehicle along with the number of the Public Transport Board to facilitate complaints. This should also apply to public buses.
“Not been increased for 20 years”! Let that sink in for a minute. While practically every cost (fuel, vehicle purchase, maintenance and just about everything else!) yet CIG would try to give the impression they are concerned about cost of living increase…yeah right! Try raise the minimum wage too! $6.00 – wow! Yet the top earners (those earning over $10,000 a month) all got a whopping 15% raise from Jan 2021.
They better watch it the bus drivers (and man other workers) go on STRIKE!
That’s what they want so they can bring in there own buses
ha ha, yeah right, organized enough to strike…dare you!
OK, go on strike. Let’s put a stop watch on how quickly these ‘skilled’ (a ‘skill’ most EVERYONE has – meaning, no special skill) specialists will get replaced.
I just don’t get the attitude of: “I have no special skills or education, but…”deserve” a higher work pay! Want a better job – get a better skill set. This is common sense that everyone with a decent job understands, and a baffling concept for those who can turn a car key and anticipate a lifetime of high wages.
I just don’t get the attitude of: “I have no special skills or education, but…”deserve” a higher work pay..
This mindset has been drilled into peoples minds by Politicians since before I was born….and continues to this day.
People actually believe because they are Caymanian that they are owed something. FACT
No one is suggesting the remuneration for unskilled employment be on par with highly skilled personnel, but everyone deserves a living wage. Surely even you can see that no raise in 20 years, or $6.00 an hour is NOT a living wage in Cayman – in the top 3 of the most expensive places in the world in which to live.
I am a highly skilled person, so no this isn’t about me!
Come on now Transportstion Board and zminister. You cant t get it up for fixing the transportation problem we now have and you can’t see with the taxis who are human beings too with no price increase fir so many years? XXXXX What’s so hard about setting up proper bus routes a d formulating a plan for better buses, trained drivers and appropriate fees. Is it just to say ona on a Board . We are paying you and all other non performing members of other boards. The time has come to have better standards fior choosing biard members. Hullo expats don’t get excited just yet. Just chill.
Take Xanax, please
Wow! 20 years? I don’t have to take the bus so it doesn’t effect me, however Government could fix this by increasing the minimum wages . After all I heard that they gave themselves a raise since taking office.?? While I do realise some of the drivers should not be allowed licenses to operate a push cart the way they weave in and out of traffic, passing where they shouldn’t and pulling ahead to stop 10 feet in front you but I don’t think the others are being unreasonable by asking for $1/1:50 more. How do they manage the high gas prices anyway?
you forgot the part where bus drivers will stop right in front of a main exit road so a car pulling in or out has obstructed views to the road. Cannot wait till they get in to a bad accident.
You forgot the part where they stop in the middle of turn lanes.
Public transportation such public buses is almost always subsidized. When one reads “what drivers want” this indicates transportation is private. In public transportation bus drivers are employees.
MLAs and other high ranking Govt officials / their elite woters want don’t want us to know they are “private”….
I cant believe this is a debate. Last year at this time I paid $44KYD to fill up my car now I pay over $75. It obvious the bus drivers- especially the privately owned ones need to raise their prices. And by a dollar? Really people that’s what we are going to focus on.
Theres been no increases in the past 20 years while CUC, Phone companies and Grociery stores do it with little to no monitoring.
If this is about the community at large perhaps we shouldnt be squeezing the locally owned businesses but the large corporations with ridiculous profit margins.
Give me a break. Someone who makes $50 a day would much rather pay an extra two or three dollars of bus fair versus the near double cost of food and the rise in rent and utilities.
Focus on the big picture people I implore you.
A dollar is 50% of the fare. There are people that can hardly bear a 50% increase in their transport cost. Especially with our indentured labour level of minimum wage.
the fact of the matter is that the bus drivers themselves deter people from using them… so of course no one is going to want to pay an extra dollar for a shitty service that doesn’t even take them all the way to their stop half the time. I’m sure if the raise in price came with improved bus driving, a GPS system and schedule, AC and proper management then most people would op to take a bus and not complain about the price.
I would pay more for a reliable, regular and safe bus service in air conditioned vehicles. Not tiny little sweat boxes that go wherever they want, whenever they want and are driven by lunatics.
I can see with Bus Operators . PACT Government got in and not even a month in power they gave themselves a raise. Only good for the few privileged.
That raise was initiated by previous government. PPM not PACT
They could have rejected .
When you consider the price of gas this does not seem unreasonable. Does the PTB propose to give the bus operators a subsidy to operate. Because if it’s uneconomic to operate they’ll just stop running.
They could stop running tomorrow and the island would get by, this whole enterprise is a national disgrace on scale with MacBeater.
What is needed is a more professional service not a fare hike. With a more professional service there will be more passengers thus more bus income. A trip with 3 passengers has the same bus cost/expense as a trip with 15 passengers, but a lot more profit.
With a professional service government can then implement strategies to “encourage” people to use it and reduce car usage.
The answer is not always to raise a price.
In June I arrived. Approached four different taxis in line at the airport for the same destination. Three reluctantly quoted three different costs, the final said she wouldn’t know until we arrived at the location in southern SMB. The lady at the Kiosk said rates were set by each driver… (I already knew better).
The discussion is about the bus service, not taxis.
current bus fares can either be too cheap or too much depending on where you are going.
whole bus system needs a huge overhaul.
if not they cannot stick to a timed schedule, then there should be a free bus tracker app where you can see where the next bus is.
many huge population areas have little or no bus service (south sound, smith road, walkers rd?)
bus should be allowed run at night to provide people a cheaper option of getting home…(but cig will refuse to do this, to protect the taxi rip-off cartel)
True. East end or north side to downtown takes longer and uses more fuel. Shouldn’t this be reflected in the price?
Wow….there are no words to express the disappointment. Those buses are mainly owned by small Caymanian business people. How dare the govt subsidise CUC during this time of rising fuel prices and not allow the buses who are paying the same high fuel prices to raise their rates? Govt must be planning to subsidise the buses fuel cost too? How can any business survive in Cayman without raising prices for 20 years? This is outright abuse. All bus drivers should strike for a week but the poor stugglers probably cant afford to do so. Maybe govt trying to add these bus drivers to social services so they can become dependent on a handout instead of allowing them to be self sufficient. Public Transport please be reasonable and fair and allow this small increase. Everyone has to survive in Cayman. Including our bus drivers who provide an essential service.
Let me fix your last sentence… “Essential service” – – “Essential skam Ripoff.” But hey, it a needed Cayman experience – getting ripped off before you even leave the airport. It was the same arriving in Honduras, Belize and Jamaica; can’t Cayman aspire to be better?
They need to look at both sides of this issue. The bus drivers have bills too. Higher gas, higher cost of groceries & the current rate was there for 20 years. How is it fair to them?
Crookedness reigns.
Makes it clear how important a realistic minimum wage is.
Minimal skills = minimal wages.
Minimal wages are NEVER, NOWHERE, NOHOW meant to be a terminal level to improving your financial status. It is something you do while improving your education and skills to better yourself. If you do not do anything further, don’t expect to better your situation. Cayman, get educated!
Hilarious that we call these public buses. They are actually minivans driven by people who would collect about 500 traffic fines or disqualifications a day in a country like the uk, whose Highway Code we supposedly follow here, for never indicating, pulling over and out randomly blocking entrances and roundabouts, dangerous driving, with no fixed or set bus stops. Absolute joke and embarrassment.
Can the PTB sort out Cayman’s newest PB trend?
Involves using all the new zebra crossings as bus stops. Not sure when that was gazzetted our if Public Works are planning on painting numbers on them but it’s illegal.
You cannot park within 45yds of a zebra crossing. Look it up in our Traffic Law. I paid a $100 ticket for it a couple weeks ago when the RCIPS, Bailiff and Security let me park on a double yellow to pay it in the Judicial Admin Building.
To make matters worse the PB’s that are parked on these zebra crossings block the idiots who walk across from behind a bus…Some is going to get run over.
The people waiting for the PB’s also stand at the zebra crossing like they are waiting to cross it causing cars to needlessly come to a grinding halt!
Good Ole Caymanian Commonsense from the Sacred Wessell.
25 CI from Sunset House to Luca for brunch one way on a Sunday.
That’s what I was charged.
No more F€£{!”… taxis
Try that same trip after 8pm and its $50+ (per person…)
We’re talking buses here, not taxis btw.
4:12, lets put it this way;
the same route that PB’s take during the hours of 6am-7pm costs you $2 each way..
That same route taken in a taxi costs $25.
After 8pm you have one choice, the taxi, and it will cost you $50+.
Hope this helps.
You new here? That’s a bargain!
An increase is probably warranted, but 50% FFS, the poor people that have to take the bus cannot afford that!
When you see written down in black and white what minimum wage earners are actually getting, it is OBSCENE! An absolute pittance and a disgrace. Aren’t these employers embarrassed by this? And if not, why not?
No-one is embarrassed because it is all facilitated and enabled by the Department of WORC. Government sanctioned abuse – all contributing to the destruction of Cayman.
Abuse? You must be joking. People are offered jobs at a fixed price and they accept the jobs for that price. BTW, wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was world peace?
No one is whipping anyone to work for this. This is the price of not educating one’s self.
When the pay is more than what they make for the company per hour than the company goes broke and no more job or company. Only CIG can afford to pay more than what a person is worth. If you truly want better than minimum wage than learn a skill, get more experience, and have a great work ethic so your employer can make enough off you to pay you more like most workers in the world do every day. No skill? No experience? No will to work hard? Cry harder and it might make you feel better about your lazy ass life. Driving a taxi is what you do when you have nothing else to offer to an employer.