Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Slow start but govt's conditional shuttle service gaining momentum

Slow start but govt's conditional shuttle service gaining momentum

Despite a slow start to government’s free Park & Ride shuttle service which officially got underway a week ago, one local dispatcher is reporting that the initiative is quickly gaining momentum.

“The first few days we were still trying to get the word out. The third and fourth day, more and more people started to become aware of it, and yes they were taking advantage of it,” the shuttle operator Julio ‘Sam’ Henry told BVI News at the weekend.

“We have a culture of convenience, so if it seems to be an inconvenience to them (residents), they are not going to do it. But the challenge is when the government starts to force individuals to pay for parking spaces in town, it might be more convenient for them to take the Park & Ride,” added Henry, who said the service is not without its challenges.

In light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the shuttles are only allowed to carry half of their capacity.

Henry said, “there is a sitting configuration when you get on the buses so it limits the number of people that get on and where a customer should sit”.

A total of 12 shuttle operators are currently engaged in providing the service. Six operate one route and another six operates the other route. Henry explained that since shuttles are scheduled to leave the various designated standpoints every 15 minutes, two shuttles simultaneously start a route so passengers are properly serviced.


Regular taxis still make money

He further said the initiative - which allows residents to taxi free of charge to 41 locations between 6 am and 6 pm on weekdays - operates on two strict routes and persons are only allowed to board under certain conditions.

“For example, persons who are carrying extra loads in trying to get from let’s say, Rite Way or OneMart to their home, their home might be in Purcell, or Huntums Ghut. They are not permitted to get on the shuttle because they have too much stuff and would constitute them hiring a taxi and we don’t go off the route. So if somebody is just hopping off, let’s say they have groceries, they have a small bag or something in their hands, or they grab lunch, they can get on the shuttle,” he explained.

“So the [regular] taxi stands still make money. With my taxi stand, the BVI Taxi Association, we had about on average 25 to 30 calls each day for the week. It seems to be working itself out,” he added.


Identifying the shuttles

To identify the shuttles, residents are required to look out for the signs to the front or either side of these buses.

The signs don’t only indicate what buses provide the service but also indicates which routes they operate. There is a ‘yellow route’ and a ‘green route’ and buses will either be marked with the letters ‘G’ for green or ‘Y’ yellow.

READ: Shuttle routes and designated stops

Minister of Transportation, Kye Rymer said the service is a part of government’s efforts to create a pedestrian-friendly Road Town. The service is offered as a COVID-19 economic stimulus package to taxi operators who drive the respective shuttle buses.

The value of the taxi stimulus is one million dollars.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×