May 15, 2011This letter was sent to Premier Paula Cox and copied to The Royal GazetteDear Premier,I have had a business in Bermuda for over 25 years and decided to come and live here three years ago. My office for those many years was in Hamilton, and when I decided to close my other London operation and move here, we took great pains to locate a home near public transportation so as not to add a burden on the public services or add another car to already crowded roads. Our home is in a small condominium complex surrounded by other condominium units starting from Newstead, Salt Kettle, Darrell’s Wharf, down to Belmont, plus many small to medium size hotels whose clients depend on public transport.For the three years we lived here the service was mostly adequate, clean, friendly and punctual. Your ferry transport system made a significant inflow of revenue to the government, up and above its costs, with positive impact on relieving road congestion, reducing accidents and pollution to the island. Significant condominium and hotel success was directly attributed to ferry service provided for transport.The government recently handed down across the board cuts to public services in order to help manage its accounts, and its over spending. While everyone must help in this regard, it seems unfair and unnecessary to make the drastic cuts in ferry service that were recently implemented. Surely there has to be some positive sensitivity to transport needs for commuters, residents and those in the tourist business, and the odd guest of residents who depend on public transport (like ferries) to allow people to roam the island and enjoy themselves (including family members who come from abroad and are unable to rent cars).Aside from curtailing much of the weekly schedule, your government has approved cuts to weekend ferry service all together. How are we to go into Hamilton on weekend, to church, dinner, and shopping (all of which aids the economy) if the government pulls the rug out from shoppers who want to shop, diners want to support the restaurants in the evenings and on weekends, tourists who want to visit Hamilton? The larger question is, if no service is available, why would tourists visit Bermuda and stay at the hotels nearby? Why would we encourage friends to visit us here if there is no public transport to get around, especially on weekends when we’re most available and they are most likely to come? How can Bermuda be in the tourist business when they cease to provide public transport services for clients of the Island, and for its citizens?How is this possible when government owns a modern full fleet of ferries, but then chooses to have those same ferries parked half the week? By curtailing ferry services within the Harbour to the degree it is now curtailed, surely this will hit home values dramatically for its citizens and negatively affect new and potential want-to-be owners of Bermuda real estate. How can it be that government has adapted such a negative set of policies which so affect such a wide category of residents, visitors, merchants, hotels, while impacting key strategic areas as business and job creation and real estate value? Surely, given the sunk cost of a transportation system like the ferries, the variable cost increase of staff and fuel is minimal to the revenue which is gained. The overall appeal of people to use ferries and not the roads can only reduce accidents and pollution and ultimately enhance the overall quality of life to citizens of and visitors to Bermuda. A major rethink in this area is needed in order to stop the negative slide of commerce, visitors and travellers using the public system, while adding to road congestion, accidents etc.R. COLT BAGLEY IIIPaget