First public bus on Bonaire possibly running before end of January
KRALENDIJK - The first bus of the new public transport system on Bonaire could possibly start running before the end of January. The Executive Council is working on a collaboration with the ABC Bus Company on Curacao. "There is a good chance that the bus will be running before the end of January," says island council member Elvis Tjin Asjoe.
The bus itself has not yet been ordered. According to deputy Dennis Martinus, it must first be clear exactly how the public transport system will be set up. "You cannot just order a bus without having worked out how big the bus needs to be and how many seats it should have. And based on that calculation, you determine the route. What will your route be? What is the frequency?"
According to Martinus, it became clear upon his taking office that no solid business case for public transport was yet in place. "A lot has been put on paper, but there is no good, solid business case." That is why the search was launched for parties with experience on other islands.
ABC Bus Company
A delegation from Bonaire met with the ABC Bus Company on Curacao and with Arubus on Aruba. The preference now lies with Curacao. "They will help us set things up -- first by writing a business case, and in addition they will support us in establishing public transport here step by step," says Martinus. The goal, he says, is to go "from small to a fully functioning public transport system."
Tjin Asjoe says work is underway on a cooperation agreement. This must be set up broadly. "We are not going to reinvent the wheel," he says. According to him, Curacao can also guide Bonaire in the purchase of buses and in the practical organisation of the system.
No full public transport company yet
The Executive Council does not want to wait until the full public transport company is up and running. "We are not going to set up a company and then order a bus, because then we will be four or five months down the line," says Tjin Asjoe. That is why work will first proceed through a transition phase.
According to him, there are ways to get a bus running relatively quickly. "There are buses on Curacao that can come here," was noted during the conversation. How exactly the transition phase will be carried out still needs to be discussed with the ABC Bus Company.
A large part of the preparatory work on the routes has already been done, according to Tjin Asjoe. "The entire route is already ready. A great deal of work has been done. We are now just re-evaluating what exists, together with a company that has been doing this for sixty years." He emphasises that the Executive Council primarily wants to act: "No more consultants, no more plans -- just do it."
The intention is for the buses to serve various neighbourhoods, although not all homes will be directly accessible. "People will need to walk to a bus stop," says Tjin Asjoe.
Four buses
Consideration is also being given to a combination of large and small buses. Martinus points out that Curacao has both systems in operation. The ambition on Bonaire, he says, is to connect them better. "Our ambition is to merge both in this work." Talks with operators of minibuses have yet to begin.
How many buses will ultimately be needed has not yet been definitively determined. The initial assumption was four buses at the start. According to Tjin Asjoe, the system must be set up "so that dynamic growth is possible."
