Feb. 3, 2009 — Twenty of St. John's senior citizens showed up at last week's open house at the Battery to lobby government officials for a bus, and they didn't have to wait long: The bus is on the way.
A new bus designated to transport St. John senior citizens will be delivered by the end of February, Gov. John deJongh Jr. said in a news release issued Sunday.
"The need for a new bus to transport our senior citizens, especially those on St. John, has existed for quite awhile, and I am pleased that while the acquisition of the bus has taken a while longer than expected, relief for our elders is on the way," he said.
The acquisition process for the new bus dates back to May 2008 when the Property and Procurement Department approved the bus specifications. By mid-June 2008, the purchase order was processed with the vendor, Caribbean Auto Mart. The bus was custom built and, during that process, the manufacturer experienced delays. The bus is now in the final stages of production.
"I ask the seniors on St. John to exercise a little more patience as we complete the process to acquire this new bus, which will go a long way in meeting their transportation needs," deJongh said.
The bus will be fitted to accommodate St. John's steep hills, said St. John Administrator Leona Smith.
St. John seniors have been without a bus for two years.
"And before that the bus was not in good repair," said Abigail Hendricks, who serves as director of the senior center at George Simmons Terrace.
The new bus will serve only the seniors at the George Simmons Terrace center, Hendricks said, not those at the privately run St. Ursula's Senior Citizen Center. The center at George Simmons Terrace comes under the wing of the Human Services Department.
The seniors at the George Simmons Terrace center range in age from 60 to 90. Although 46 seniors are registered at the center, only 35 are active, Hendricks said.
The seniors need the bus because many of them no longer drive.
"There's a lot to see outside of the center," Hendricks said.
Grocery shopping on St. Thomas is one of the most important excursions.
"Food is too expensive on St. John," Hendricks said.
The bus also takes the seniors to events at the Reichhold Center, to the Bordeaux Fair and to the Bordeaux Farmer's Market, all on St. Thomas.
On St. John, the bus takes the seniors on picnics to various beaches and for visits at the homes of senior citizens who can no longer attend senior center activities. They spend the day, having lunch and playing dominoes with the shut-ins.
"That's a big deal for them, and it makes the shut-ins feel a part of things," Hendricks said.
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