Elsewhere in this edition of The Anguillian is a letter signed by a group of persons calling for the establishment of a government-sponsored bus system. This is not a new suggestion as it has made its rounds in the community before but without success. The main answer has been that it will not succeed because of the large and increasing number of privately-owned vehicles on the island and yet there must not be an outright dismissal of the proposition. The reason is that as Anguilla continues to develop by leaps and bounds, the government and the public must rethink their position on a number of issues to see whether it is not time for a change of mind.

It is interesting that the letter referred to above has come from Anguillians and that these persons appear to be residing in the eastern area of the island. It is also to be noted that many of them are women who are not financially able to obtain their own vehicles. In commenting on what he saw as the plight of some women, Opposition Member Hubert Hughes said, in the House of Assembly more than two years ago, that female workers walking home from work late at nights were exposed to certain forms of danger including compromising their morals for transportation. He was not however calling for a government-sponsored bus transportation system. He was suggesting that hotels, where the majority of belongers and non-belongers work, should be the ones to provide transport for their employees. He was emphatic about it but made no suggestion as to the sustainability of such a service or whether there was a need for government or private bus drivers to become involved.

Looking back over many years ago, there was some form of organised public service transportation especially from the eastern end of the island to The Valley. The older folk remember the days when the late Christopher Fleming’s hooded truck took them to and fro, but those were times when the number of vehicles could have been counted on the fingers of one hand. In more recent times other transportation owners have tried to continue the service but eventually gave it up as more and more persons acquired their own vehicles. The community should salute Steven and Hyra Webster of Island Harbour who are faithfully operating a limited bus service to The Valley and other areas of Anguilla for school children and adults. It is known too that a few buses mainly engaged in transporting tourists are sometimes used to carry hotel workers to their jobs, but only if they are living in an area through which these vehicles normally travel from their points of origin.

There has been and continues to be a tremendous increase in the labour force throughout the island, the western area being the heaviest concentration of construction work and other opportunities of private sector employment. Many of the workers are from various parts of the Caribbean and even further a-field where they are accustomed to a public transportation system. And they are asking how come Anguilla, with all of its development activity, does not offer this type of regular transport service. Other persons coming to the island and do not necessary need the normal taxis are asking the same question.

No sensible business person wants to embark on an enterprise which may be risky, and therefore subject to failure, and it is for this reason that there is an obvious reluctance to get into a public service bus system. The suggestion that the government should sponsor such an undertaking is therefore understandable – the perception being that the government can bear any loss. This is not altogether a plausible reasoning as the cost of operation would eventually filter down to the public.

The fact is that some brave and enterprising person in the private sector should give consideration to introducing a well-planned bus service. Some persons argue that if the school bus system provided by the government is working so smoothly and efficiently, there is the possibility that a privately-own bus service, well-tailored and scoped to the needs of the public at large, may likewise succeed. Anguilla is generally regarded as a copy-cat society where, if some business is seen to flourish, a similar one will spring up overnight. Maybe this will happen if somebody is bold enough to try a well-organised and thought-out bus transportation system.

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