No Tokens and only One Day Passes to be Sold at Dockyard in 2016

[Bird in Jersey]

Well said, Tricia. I agree - it's ridiculous. It's promoting more carbon monoxide by encouraging more taxi and shuttle van use and less public transport use. It just seems like a really greedy and not-thought-out move on their part.

 

After reading this post, here is another thought. Has it occurred to anyone that this move is driven by both Bermuda and the cruise ships?

dockyard to horseshoe bay on my summer cruise cost $23(cruise ship excursion). Think about it, some travelers will decide to just pay for the excursion through the cruise ship(charge it to my stateroom) and get on the same pink bus that cost $5.00. The cruise ship is betting that people will pay for the ease of doing this(isn't that the wording used to sell ship excursions). The amount that the ship pays to charter the bus, has to be more than each passenger paying the $5 to ride the same bus. Ship excursions can't be selling well, because most of us know that Bermuda is very easy to navigate. Another thought: If I purchase a pass, Bermuda is hoping that we cruisers explore the island more. I love Bermuda, this does not change my plans. More information that I need to share with my group.

[m0nkeyh0use]

Hi all,

Looks like the summer Ferry schedule has been posted:

http://www.seaexpress.bm/Documents/Ferry/Summer%20Schedule%202016_FInal%20Web.pdf

[djny1077]

Hi all,

Looks like the summer Ferry schedule has been posted:

http://www.seaexpress.bm/Documents/Ferry/Summer%20Schedule%202016_FInal%20Web.pdf

 

Yay!! Thank you! I've been waiting for this! :D

[grangerguy]

Just an FYI about the changes in transportation! I just printed the 2016 ferry schedule. Was curious about using cash from Dockyard to St. George, so I called the VIC in St. George. I believe there is alot of confusion out there - even with the people working in the industry. I was first told that the ferries would not accept cash unless it was a long, long line and then they might allow you to drop in cash. So I then called the Hamilton Ferry Terminal and was told that cash is allowed on the ferry - can be paper ($5.00 bill) or coins.

Then I asked the VIC in St. George about buying the booklet of tickets and was told that they will not have them for sale in St. George; I believe Hamilton is the only place they can be purchased.

For planning purposes, I was also told that the St. George hop-on, hop-off shuttle no longer exists. This year, there will be a dedicated shuttle from St. George to Tobacco Bay ($7.00/pp RT); one to Fort St. Catherine ($6.00 pp RT or $10 which includes RT and admission to the fort) and $12.00 for a RT to Clearwater. It also has a new name - something like St. George Transportation Travel.

So - this just changed my one day plans for St. George. Will have to rethink!

We will be leaving May 15th for our cruise to Bermuda. If anyone goes prior to then, please post any information that you have regarding these changes.

Edited April 22, 2016 by grangerguy
misspelling

[Charles4515]

Just an FYI about the changes in transportation! I just printed the 2016 ferry schedule. Was curious about using cash from Dockyard to St. George, so I called the VIC in St. George. I believe there is alot of confusion out there - even with the people working in the industry. I was first told that the ferries would not accept cash unless it was a long, long line and then they might allow you to drop in cash. So I then called the Hamilton Ferry Terminal and was told that cash is allowed on the ferry - can be paper ($5.00 bill) or coins.

Then I asked the VIC in St. George about buying the booklet of tickets and was told that they will not have them for sale in St. George; I believe Hamilton is the only place they can be purchased.

For planning purposes, I was also told that the St. George hop-on, hop-off shuttle no longer exists. This year, there will be a dedicated shuttle from St. George to Tobacco Bay ($7.00/pp RT); one to Fort St. Catherine ($6.00 pp RT or $10 which includes RT and admission to the fort) and $12.00 for a RT to Clearwater. It also has a new name - something like St. George Transportation Travel.

So - this just changed my one day plans for St. George. Will have to rethink!

We will be leaving May 15th for our cruise to Bermuda. If anyone goes prior to then, please post any information that you have regarding these changes.

 

 

 

That is good info. Thanks for calling. I had a feeling that Hop on and Hop off wouldn't be running. I wonder about the Horseshoe Bay shuttles. As for the ticket booklets in St. George you talked to the VIC. They were selling them in the Post Office on Water Street. I think it is possible they will have them there. My reasoning is that local residents use those tickets.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Charles4515

[SailBadtheSinner]

Just an FYI .......

Then I asked the VIC in St. George about buying the booklet of tickets and was told that they will not have them for sale in St. George; I believe Hamilton is the only place they can be purchased.

For planning purposes, I was also told that the St. George hop-on, hop-off shuttle no longer exists. This year, there will be a dedicated shuttle from St. George to Tobacco Bay ($7.00/pp RT); one to Fort St. Catherine ($6.00 pp RT or $10 which includes RT and admission to the fort) and $12.00 for a RT to Clearwater. It also has a new name - something like St. George Transportation Travel.

So - this just changed my one day plans for St. George. Will have to rethink!

 

In re to tickets, this is included on the last page of the online bus schedule from 4/2015:

OBTAINING TOKENS, TICKETS, AND PASSES: Tokens, Tickets, and Transportation Passes are available from the DPT Central Terminal on Washington Street, in Hamilton. Tokens and Transportation Passes are also available at many hotels and guest houses, and from the Visitors Information Centre. Tickets, and Adult Passes are available at many sub-post offices. The Central Terminal hours of operation are 7:15am-7:00pm on Monday to Friday, 8:00am-6:30pm on Saturday, and 8:30am-5:30pm on Sundays and Holidays. The DPT Headquarters hours of operation are 8:45am-5:00pm, Monday to Friday. Contact the Department of Public Transportation (DPT) at 2923851 for additional information.

 

Did you contact the St George post office? Not the VIC.

 

What were your plans for St George that you are changing your visit there because the HOHO has been cancelled?

 

My wife and I walked from King's Square to Tobacco Bay to FSC (which I toured) to Gates Fort to the Cut and back to King's Square. You could take a taxi to Tobacco Bay and then walk to FSC and summon a taxi to take you back to King's Square.

 

 

SBtS

[Charles4515]

 

My wife and I walked from King's Square to Tobacco Bay to FSC (which I toured) to Gates Fort to the Cut and back to King's Square. You could take a taxi to Tobacco Bay and then walk to FSC and summon a taxi to take you back to King's Square.

 

 

SBtS

 

 

 

I have done the same walk both ways several times.

[grangerguy]

I did not call the post office in St. George to see if they will sell them. That could be a possibility. I would like to get to St. George as early as possible on the first day in port as we also want to go to Harbour Nights in the evening in Hamilton.

We can certainly walk wherever we choose to go in St. George - just was planning to use the HOHO for the convenience.

[SportsFanatic]

Just an FYI about the changes in transportation! I just printed the 2016 ferry schedule. Was curious about using cash from Dockyard to St. George, so I called the VIC in St. George. I believe there is alot of confusion out there - even with the people working in the industry. I was first told that the ferries would not accept cash unless it was a long, long line and then they might allow you to drop in cash. So I then called the Hamilton Ferry Terminal and was told that cash is allowed on the ferry - can be paper ($5.00 bill) or coins.

Then I asked the VIC in St. George about buying the booklet of tickets and was told that they will not have them for sale in St. George; I believe Hamilton is the only place they can be purchased.

For planning purposes, I was also told that the St. George hop-on, hop-off shuttle no longer exists. This year, there will be a dedicated shuttle from St. George to Tobacco Bay ($7.00/pp RT); one to Fort St. Catherine ($6.00 pp RT or $10 which includes RT and admission to the fort) and $12.00 for a RT to Clearwater. It also has a new name - something like St. George Transportation Travel.

So - this just changed my one day plans for St. George. Will have to rethink!

We will be leaving May 15th for our cruise to Bermuda. If anyone goes prior to then, please post any information that you have regarding these changes.

 

Thanks for all the updates. I do believe the booklets are not sold at the vi V.I.C but they are sold at the post office on Water Street. I would contact them to find out for sure or if something has recently changed. Cash is definitely accepted on the bus and the ferry but of course it is more than the token. I had a feeling the hop-on-hop-off shuttle might not be there as I could not find any info or advertising on it. thanks again for sharing!

[SportsFanatic]

I have done the same walk both ways several times.

 

Are there regular buses that will take you around st George ? Can you take regular bus to Fort Catherine or is that not possible ? Thanks for any info

[Charles4515]

Are there regular buses that will take you around st George ? Can you take regular bus to Fort Catherine or is that not possible ? Thanks for any info

 

 

 

No. The regular buses don't go to Fort Catherine nor do they run around St. George. The buses run from St. George to the rest of Bermuda.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Charles4515

[njhorseman]

Are there regular buses that will take you around st George ? Can you take regular bus to Fort Catherine or is that not possible ? Thanks for any info

 

There's no regular bus route that take you to Ft. St. Catherine. You can walk, take a taxi, or take the shuttle van service.

[waywyrd]

My wife and I walked from King's Square to Tobacco Bay to FSC (which I toured) to Gates Fort to the Cut and back to King's Square.

Could you tell me how long that walk was? Poking around on Google, those roads don't look walker-friendly at all. Not trying to become someone's hood ornament. :D

[SailBadtheSinner]

Could you tell me how long that walk was? Poking around on Google, those roads don't look walker-friendly at all. Not trying to become someone's hood ornament. :D

 

 

The distance for the walk was just under 3 miles, and by the time we made it back to King's Square, we were draggin' our butts :D. I can't tell you what the travel time was because of numerous rest stops, photo stops and my tour of FSC while my wife had a drink and snack at Blackbeards Hideout.

 

As for traffic on the local roads, it was very light. In fact, on the part of the walk from FSC to the Town Cut, I remember it as only 1 or 2 cars going by us.

 

 

SBtS

[flowers44]

The walk out to Tobacco Bay is about 15 minutes, of course depending on your speed. Once you get to the top of the hill out of St. George, there is very little traffic. There are some sidewalks on the streets in St. George on the route. Walking over to St. Catherine's is another 10 minute stroll, again very little traffic. If you choose to take the Cut Road back into St. George, that is about a 30 minute walk and you will have a bit more traffic there but there is grassy areas on both sides of the roads to step off onto. It is a really pretty walk through rural Bermuda, passing farms, homes, schools and of course the famouse St. George Cut that the cruise ship used to go through when they docked at St. George. You really can't get lost since the road circles around and comes out into St. George. Make sure you take water along because you will get thirsty walking in the warm air. There is a small sea glass beach along the road that is fun to explore and also Alexandra Battery which has cannons and the remains of the fort you can look around.

[lvz2cruz]

When I read "exact change" I do not think of rolled coins. To me it means they do not give change back--if you give the driver a twenty dollar bill, he will not give you $15 back. You give your five dollar bill and you are fine.

This is more expensive than in the past, but wow it was such a bargain. We have spent so much to get to beaches in the Caribbean I don't really think this is a big deal.

[1025cruise]

On the buses, exact change means "change", not bills, so yes, bring a roll of quarters.

[Charles4515]

When I read "exact change" I do not think of rolled coins. To me it means they do not give change back--if you give the driver a twenty dollar bill, he will not give you $15 back. You give your five dollar bill and you are fine.

 

This is more expensive than in the past, but wow it was such a bargain. We have spent so much to get to beaches in the Caribbean I don't really think this is a big deal.

 

 

 

Exact change on the buses means exact change in coins into the fare box. The fare box does not take bills and the drivers do not five dollar bills. That is their rules. What it means to you does not matter.

Edited April 23, 2016 by Charles4515

[chubbypiggy]

This morning I took the ferry from the Dockyard to Hamilton and I paid with a U.S. $5 bill; no problem at all. Many people ahead of me paid the same way.

[SportsFanatic]

No. The regular buses don't go to Fort Catherine nor do they run around St. George. The buses run from St. George to the rest of Bermuda.

 

Thanks I did read that Gates Fort is mile east of Town Square and is on the #3 bus route. Is that correct ?

[flowers44]

Researched Gates Fort and it says it is on bus route #3. It sits right on the rock cliff on one side of the St. George Cut that goes into the harbor in St. George. When the cruise ships were smaller back in the 80's and 90's they would go into St. George through that cut in the rocks. It was amazing to see them pilot those ships through such a narrow space. The Town Crier use to stand on the point at Gates Fort and welcome each ship into the harbor all dressed is a costume from long ago in Bermuda. It was fun to be on deck and hear his greeting. It is not a long walk out to Gates Fort if you like to see a bit of the country side.

Edited April 23, 2016 by flowers44

[Charles4515]

Researched Gates Fort and it says it is on bus route #3.

 

 

That might not mean what you might think. It might be a long walk from the bus stop.

Edited April 23, 2016 by Charles4515

[jtheile]

Could you tell me how long that walk was? Poking around on Google, those roads don't look walker-friendly at all. Not trying to become someone's hood ornament. :D

 

 

Mapping that route on an online mapping site I use for cycling shows about 3 miles and an elevation gain of about 200ft for the whole route. The steepest is the beginning for the first .25 mile at 5% grade.

[iheartbda]

That might not mean what you might think. It might be a long walk from the bus stop.

 

That's correct. Gates Fort is not on the #3 route, that bus will only get you to the town proper of St. George.

 

Mapping that route on an online mapping site I use for cycling shows about 3 miles and an elevation gain of about 200ft for the whole route. The steepest is the beginning for the first .25 mile at 5% grade.

Cool mapping site since they have it right. We've walked the whole circular route from St. George up to Tobacco Bay, then on Barry Road and back down into St. George. The steepest is just after Fort St. Catherine. You can now take a street view trip on Google earth.

[georgigirl]

travel@bermudatourism.com

.

this one worked. It is the tourism board. ( they are on our side according to the article)

Wrote to each publication person at the Gazette. Everyone was receptive and understanding except for 2 people (1 was very rude). After that, I wrote to transportation board who was also understanding. You can search them on google. I also wrote to the newspapers and asked them to read the comments under the Gazette and view what was there as folks are very upset.