January 12th, 2012:

… Bus version… Barbados buses versus OCTranspo. Based on recent experience.

There are 3 types of buses to take in Barbados: the full-sized buses that we have here in Ottawa (no A/C though), smaller versions of said buses… and minivans whose sole goals seem to be to cram as many peeps as possible into the van all the while tooting their customised horns and breaking land speed records. We rode on the first two but not the last. Didn’t know if my travel insurance would cover such recklessness.

Commonalities between buses here and buses there…

Lots in common, actually.

• Land speed records are tested.
• Timing is unreliable.
• Corners and braking are for playing the “knock down the rider” game.
• “Interesting” clientele

Differences:

• The drivers on the island try to be helpful. Might not understand a word that they’re saying due to the accent… but they are trying. OCTranspo? Well… there ARE exceptions, but…
• $2 Bajan ($1 US) will pretty much get you anywhere on the island.  Might take a while… but you will get there. OC? What is the cash fare now? $3? And, most of the time, one must change buses at least once to get to where they are going to.
• The Bajan Transport Board website ain’t very fancy… yet the bells and whistles on the OCTranspo site doesn’t really help much, now does it?

All in all, the two systems are pretty comparable.

Yay for us! Our modern and complex system in Ottawa compares favourably to that on a far-off tropical island.

(457)