The City Circle route is often described as one of the most reliable bus services on the island. So I decided to see for myself.
And, for the most part, it lived up to the reputation.
I boarded the bus around 10:15 a.m. at the Fairchild Street Terminal on Thursday, confirmation that the bus had departed from the Princess Alice Terminal on time.
As I boarded, pleased by the efficiency, I quickly noticed the hiccups.
The majority of passengers were elderly, and with most of the seats already taken, several were left standing.
Some clung to poles or leaned against the walls of the bus. Others with walking sticks hesitated at the steps, only to be helped on board by fellow commuters, often seniors who gave up their own seats.
The route makes a full loop around Bridgetown, passing key points such as Broad Street, Government Headquarters, the Garrison Savannah, and major communities like Bank Hall, Eagle Hall, and Bush Hall before returning to the Princess Alice Highway.
During the journey, a stretch of ongoing roadworks in Bank Hall caused a brief detour.
A cloud of dust enveloped one stop, forcing passengers to shield their faces as some of the elderly cautiously climbed aboard.
Even with those bumps, the service remained impressively consistent.
When we arrived at the Princess Alice Terminal around 11 a.m., another City Circle bus was already loading passengers to depart.
The moment it pulled out, a third arrived, not yet ready to board, but a reassuring sign of reliability for those waiting for the noon departure.
The City Circle’s performance comes amidst ongoing efforts to modernise the public transport system.
Earlier this year, the government announced the arrival of 30 new electric buses, bringing the Transport Board’s total fleet to 89, with further additions expected.
Officials have also indicated that improvements in charging infrastructure and maintenance support are underway to better support the transition.
Despite these developments, service issues persist, with concerns ranging from inconsistent arrival times and ageing diesel units still in circulation to route limitations that affect workers, especially those on late shifts.
But for commuters on the City Circle Bus, praise outweighed complaint.
“This is the only bus in Barbados that you can depend on,” one woman told Barbados TODAY as she waited at the Princess Alice Terminal to head to the hospital.
She shared that she lives in St James and works in Oistins, and that she is a hotel worker whose shift ends at 9 p.m., but whose journey home often stretches to midnight or beyond.
“I wish the bus I take on a daily [basis] operated like this one. I finish work at 9 p.m. and still don’t get home until minutes to one in the morning,” she said.
“There’s no bus from Oistins to St James after nine. So I have to wait and depend on ZRs, but after a while they stop too.”
She’s written to the Transport Board, suggesting new routes like one from Speightstown through Redman Village and Warrens to Oistins but so far, she says, there’s been no change.
The City Circle, she insisted, is the only route that works.
“It comes every hour, even if it’s five or ten minutes late, it’s coming,” she added.
While she had no major complaints, she suggested that buses should run every half hour during peak periods.
“In the mornings and evenings, when everybody is trying to move about their business, it needs to run every half hour because a lot of people take it . . . . especially when school is in,” she said.
Another commuter, a pensioner, said she was generally pleased with the service despite the occasional delay or packed bus.
“This bus is for old people like me. I am pleased with the service. It’s really helpful,” she said.
“They have one and two drivers that I have had to complain about but I am pleased. It’s not always on time but if you wait you get it. It’s reliable in that you know that it’s going to come . . . it might take a little longer to get to the terminal because of traffic and the road works and so forth but I like it.”
Though not discrediting the praises of others, one commuter who regularly uses the service admitted that there are times when the bus fails to show every hour, putting additional strain on the next one that eventually shows up.
“It doesn’t always come on time. So if you don’t see a four o’clock, it won’t come ’til five and sometimes that means it has double load, ’cause people will wait and the five o’clock crew will come and meet the four o’clock crew,” she shared.
Commuters in rural areas continue to question why consistent service like this hasn’t extended beyond the capital, even with the addition of new buses.
“The government say they bring in more buses,” the hotel worker said.
“Well . . . where dem is?” (SM)
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