A new director for the public transportation department has been appointed, the Government said today.

Jonelle Christopher was officially brought onto the role on October 1 after holding the position in an acting capacity for two years.

She will work under the direction of the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Transport and will be responsible for the operations, management and direction of the transport department.

Ms Christopher has a bachelor’s of business administration degree in marketing from Howard University and a master’s of business administration degree from Webster University, both in the United States.

She joined the Bermuda Government as a manager of promotional services at the Department of Tourism in July 2000.

At that time, she oversaw the Certified Blue Flag Taxi programme, represented Bermuda in several local and international events, managed government sponsorships and created visitor experiences for travel agents.

Ms Christopher was seconded to the Public Transportation Board in January 2006 and became the assistant director of operations in April that year.

In the position, she was responsible for policy management, administration, training and customer relations, as well as communications for commuter, charter, sightseeing and school transportation services.

Ms Christopher brings 18 years of experience in labour relations and served on the Bermuda Government contract negotiations team for several years, including as its administrator.

She also led DPT cases in hearings and arbitrations and worked as the management co-chairwoman for the Joint Consultative Committee for the Bermuda Public Services Union and the Bermuda Industrial Union.

Ms Christopher has also served as acting director at the Department of Parks and the Transport Control Department.

When she was appointed as the DPT’s acting director in June 2022, she oversaw the arrival of Bermuda’s first electric buses.

The new fleet, as well as its second phase the following year, earned Bermuda the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum Industry’s award for Best E-Mobility Project in 2023 and 2024.

She also oversaw the creation and launch of the Shorelink app, which allows people to pay public transport fare online.

The app, which was introduced over the summer, earned the team behind it a Public Service Excellence Award.