Government's bus system is being stretched to the limit.

The Public Transportation Board has recently received several complaints from those who have experienced difficulty in getting a bus from the ends of the Island.

But PTB director Herman Basden stressed his department was well on its way to addressing the problem.

"We're getting a number of complaints about people finding it difficult to get on buses coming out of Dockyard and St. George's,'' he confirmed.

Mr. Basden attributed this to a combination of factors, including the cruise ship season, an increase in taxi fares, a limited ferry service, and popular bus passes for visitors.

"When you have cruise ships in St. George's and they cannot shift to Hamilton due to the weather, there's a huge number of people trying to get buses to town,'' he said.

"We have three-day and seven-day passes and visitors have been buying these passes like hot cakes.'' PTB initially welcomed the demand for buses during the Chamber of Commerce's Wednesday night shopping and entertainment festival known as Harbour Nights, Mr. Basden said.

"But now it is turning into a nightmare,'' he admitted.

As a result of the growing demand PTB was working flat out to supply as many drivers and buses as possible, he noted. "The bus system has been left to hold it all together,'' he said.

PTB added 20 new buses to its aging fleet of 106 buses last year.

The air-conditioned new buses, at $250,000 each, came as a welcome relief for PTB and the general public.

With many of PTB's buses dating back to the mid-1970s, more than 46 buses were taken off the road in March last year for repairs, leaving passengers stranded throughout the Island.

"If we didn't have the 20 new buses, we would never be able to cope,'' Mr.

Basden admitted about the recent crisis. "When we look at the number of passes we've been selling it is overwhelming.'' Stressing that PTB intended to continue to provide good service the public, particularly school children, Mr. Basden said: "The Minister is aware of it and my board is looking at it. We're suppose to be doing a new schedule for September. It will be ready in July.'' The new bus schedule, which will take into account the Island's first senior secondary school at Prospect for some 900 14- to 17-year-olds, is promised to be more efficient.

Five more buses are expected in July.

"That should help us address the problem,'' Mr. Basden said. "We're continuously expanding. We know what the problem is and we're working very hard toward addressing it.''