transportation between Hamilton and Bermuda's west end.

Mr. Malcolm Lightbourne, who has worked a number of years with the Department of Marine & Ports, has applied under the Companies Act to incorporate a limited liability company called Dockyard Shuttle Company Ltd.

He is joined by his wife, Mrs. Sonya Lightbourne, and Mr. Charles Sinclair Blakeney. The trio is represented by the law firm Richards, Francis & Francis.

It is believed that the company, pending Government approval, proposes to operate a ferry service filling a gap in the current ferry schedule between Hamilton and the west end. There are currently no early morning or evening ferries between Hamilton and public docks in Somerset and Dockyard.

Although there is evening bus service to the west end, the last daily ferry now leaves Hamilton for Dockyard at 5.20 p.m., an inconvenience to commuters who have to work later than 5 p.m.

When contacted, Mr. Lightbourne said he could not comment on the proposal. The Government used to operate both an early morning and evening service, but both runs were scratched during the recession as cost cutting measures.

Marine and Transport officials have not seen any compelling reason to restore them.

Mr. Mike Dolding, the senior marine services officer with the Department of Marine and Ports, recalled the thinking behind the decision taken to cut back the ferry service.

"With the recession at the time, we were having to look very carefully at our budget and see how we were spending money and what value we were getting for it,'' he said.

"When we analysed the Somerset service, the evening (6 p.m. from Hamilton) and the first morning ride (6.15 a.m. from Hamilton), it was clearly apparent, and had been for some time, that the ridership didn't warrant running the service.

"We don't see any significant growth on the first and last ferries. We have limited funds and we don't have the money to reinstate them under the present budget.'' The ferry crews work a 37.5 hours a week and mandatory overtime would be required to cover the extra rides. The costs were high and the ridership brought limited revenue, Mr. Dolding said.

The ferry service is already subsidised to the tune of more than $1 million a year. The service spends a dollar to make fifty cents, and Mr. Dolding contends that it is a competitive service when those figures are compared to the bus service or public transportation systems in other jurisdictions.