Residents lament unreliable bus service in Martins Bay

Residents of Martins Bay, St John, said chronic bus delays and irregular schedules are disrupting daily life, forcing workers and commuters to leave home hours early and rely on costly or inconvenient alternatives amid the daily uncertainty of catching a bus.

The issue, they said, affects workers and the wider community, who are forced to adjust their routines to accommodate an inconsistent service.

Danesha Maxwell, 26, described the bus service as “very, very, very poor”, particularly during daytime and evening hours. “They’ve got days where you’ll go two hours without a bus. So, that’s just how it is up here. It’s frustrating, especially if you’ve gotta get to work at a certain time; you just gotta leave at least an hour or so earlier than you’re supposed to because if you miss one bus, ain’t a guarantee that you would get the other.”

Maxwell added that merely telling employers she lives in Martins Bay conveys the challenges. “Honestly, you don’t even have to explain. As soon as you say you live in Martins Bay, people are like, ‘that’s just so far’.”

A group of five residents who spoke at a shop near the Newcastle junction painted a detailed picture of public‑transport shortcomings.

“The bus is supposed to run every hour on the half‑hour…. The bus service is especially bad between 2 o’clock and 7:30 p.m.; it’s very, very, very bad,” one resident said.

They explained that these delays affect safety and mobility.

“After two o’clock, the next bus [from Bridgetown] is supposed to be 4:30. Sometimes you hardly even get that. And when it does come, it’s going to be about 5 o’clock. Then, with the traffic on the road, people are going to be getting home at 7:30,” another resident said.

Walking long distances, relying on lifts from friends or neighbours, and paying for taxis has become a necessity rather than a choice. “To be honest, most of the time you have to walk and go up Gall Hill or you bum a lift.”

Residents also blamed some drivers for the poor service, alleging that when instructed to take the Martins Bay route, some refused.

Chief Operations Officer of the Transport Board, Lynda Holder, said she could not comment on drivers refusing the route, adding that the matter would be investigated internally and among Transport Augmentation Programme workers.

The resident added that there was only one Martins Bay van but that was temporarily out of commission. They say it was more than $100 to get a taxi from The City to home.

Regarding delays, she acknowledged service challenges, particularly during school dismissal times, but reminded Barbadians that additional buses are expected to improve the delivery of service soon.

As it relates to road conditions, residents said Martins Bay is scheduled for work next year, following completed projects in Bath and Glenburnie.

“The road conditions are improving greatly. After the people start from Bath and come down they have to continue when the year starts. They are coming down through Martins Bay and going through all of the roads that are bad. But the state of the roads are,” a resident said.

Another resident reflected on decades of patchwork repairs. “The roads bad, but we ain’t fussing over them; we know they will get do, but this is 48 years I have been seeing this. Roads get patch and repair and when the water comes from up the hill, it dig out every single patch. So we hope that when these repairs happen, we get proper roads to last.”

Government secured BDS$230 million from the Export-Import Bank of China to fund the Scotland District Road Rehabilitation project. The target areas with deteriorating roads, culverts and bridges. Under this project the section of road from Bath, St John to Andromeda Gardens in St Joseph will be repaved.

Beyond transport and roads, residents argued that broader social infrastructure remains a pressing need. “We want a park in Martins Bay for the young generation. We’re looking for things in Martins Bay. If anybody could do anything within the district, like keep youth groups going…. We’re basically looking for energy,” a resident said, highlighting the need for recreational spaces and community engagement.

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb