A fleet of new buses and a high-speed catamaran providing a ferry service between St. George’s and Dockyard are two ways in which Government plans to improve public transport on the Island.Tourism and Transport Minister Shawn Crockwell announced the developments at a press conference yesterday detailing the Ministries’ budgets for the next year.Mr Crockwell said the ten new buses will cost the Department of Transport $3 million and will provide “increased lift during the peak period of the season”.He added that no new buses had been purchased by Government since 2009 and as a result, older vehicles were being subjected to stress.Pointing out that the Department of Public Transport saw its slice of the Government revenue pie increase by seven percent to $20.9 million, Mr Crockwell said: “This additional funding is provided to ensure the required maintenance schedules are maintained with a resulting improved reliability of service.”East end residents should find it easier to travel with the introduction of a new ferry service to Dockyard in the summer. “There has been great pressure on the Department of Marine and Ports to provide additional service to the east end during the busy cruise ship season,” Mr Crockwell said.“It is planned to provide such service this year, using a dedicated, large, high-speed catamaran ferry chartered from overseas. The 400-passenger ferry lift between Dockyard and St George’s will allow the local ferry fleet service to focus on the Dockyard to Hamilton service, as well as the morning and evening commuter service.”Government hopes to pick up an extra $2 million in revenue from increases in bus and ferry passes, which will go up by 25 percent — the first increase since 2004. A one-day pass currently costing $12 for all zones will go up to $15, while a weekly pass will now cost $56.25 from $45 previously.But Mr Crockwell said there will be no increase in the cost of a monthly pass in an effort to lessen the impact of increases on Bermudians. Residents who use public transport regularly are more likely to by monthly passes than daily or weekly tickets, which are purchased mainly by visitors, the Minister noted.Turning to the Tourism portfolio, Mr Crockwell said that the Ministry’s budget had been slashed by 30 percent in the last five years and has taken another hit of five percent this year. The Ministry has a purse of $27.2 million, the lion’s share of which will be spent on advertising and marketing Bermuda overseas.“The Department of Tourism and the Tourism Board have and continue to work closely with our on-Island and overseas partners to ensure Bermuda gets the best value and return on investments for our planned sales and marketing initiatives, product offering and events scheduled for the next fiscal year,” Mr Crockwell said.“The establishment of a Tourism Authority is a high priority for our Ministry and we will hold a product development conference in order to seek initiatives and ideas from the public and will identify the most attractive and sustainable concepts. You will certainly be hearing more about this event in the very near future.”The Ministry will be investing $3.2 million in sports marketing — an increase of 54 percent on last year — and Government golf courses are to be given a grant of $850,000.