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Bermudians must ‘raise their game’, Cannonier

One Bermuda Alliance Senator Craig Cannonier called on Bermudians to “raise our game” or risk losing overseas customers.Mr Cannonier’s remarks followed a visitor’s complaint that surly bus drivers had affected the quality of her stay in Bermuda.New Jersey tourist Carolyn Smith said she stays annually at Salt Kettle House in Paget, which this year saw its ferry service drastically curtailed under the new summer schedule.Describing her bus experience as “mixed”, Ms Smith added that some drivers had shown “bad attitudes”.Returning from a visit to Flatts left her with no room to wait at the roadside, where she said a bus driver on the Hamilton route made her walk back to the pole before letting her board. She also reported that a driver let her get off at an earlier stop when she asked him to let her off at the ferry terminal.As Shadow Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry, Mr Cannonier said: “We must never forget that Bermuda’s economy is service-based. Much depends on the attitude we project to people. If we are rude or unhelpful, our customers will go elsewhere. Such a result serves no constructive purpose, and it reminds us that we share a collective responsibility toward our fellow Bermudians. We are, after all, in this life together.”Saying there was no reason negative reports were “not grounded in some level of truth”, Mr Cannonier said that some of the Island’s challenges related to issues that could not be readily changed, such as higher costs. He added: “But there is one area that each of us can bring about immediate change and that is how we get along with our fellow citizens and our overseas customers.”