No backers for NYE bus

| 30/12/2014

(CNS): The National Drug Council will not be running the Purple Ribbon Bus this year because they could not get sponsorship for the free service which is credited with helping to keep Grand Cayman’s roads safe on New Year’s Eve. With the police urging people not to drink and drive as they press ahead with Operation Dasher, the lack of a free service to take people home after the end of year celebrations will increase the likelihood of more drunks behind the wheel. The NDC has been organising the service for many years but with a limited budget the government agency depends on the private sector to help. This year, however, there was no one willing to back it.

A spokesperson for the RCIPS said that they were disappointed to hear that the service would not be running as the NDC reported that more than 1,200 people along the West Bay Road alone used it for the 2013 celebrations between 11pm and 2am.

“The Purple Ribbon bus programme historically has been an asset in the NYE celebrations,” the police spokesperson said. “In its absence this year RCIPS urges the public to car pool, use designated drivers or other means to safely travel in and around parties this season. It only takes one drunk driver to disrupt the socio economic standings of a family.”

The police said that they support the additional safety that a free bus service can bring for revellers and that the season "is here to be enjoyed – and not one for sorrow.”

Over the years the NDC has managed to raise the cash to pay a local tour operator to run a number of buses from 10pm on 31 December until around 3am on New Year’s Day between West Bay and Bodden Town as part of a campaign to reduce the number of potential alcohol-related car smashes and to keep drunk drivers off the roads. Llocal restaurants and bars usually also offer free soft drinks to designated drivers.

Despite the eleventh hour, however, there is still a chance that some local company or wealthy sponsor could help to get the free buses on the road before the party starts tomorrow night, as it could be done for as little as $4000.

Anyone who can help can contact the NDC on 949-9000 or info@ndc.ky

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Why is it that in Cayman there is always someone looking for a handout or for something to be sponsored by someone else? Look at me, I am big enough to go out and party, I am rich enough to buy all the liquor I need, but I am too stupid and too cheap to find my way home without getting behind the wheel after drinking! No wonder the mess we are in!

  2. Anonymous says:

    Please do not drink and drive. The life you save could be your own!

  3. Anonymous says:

    How much was Ossie's expense claim?  Surely he can offer to fund the bus with it?

  4. Anonymous says:

    CaymanKind, where some asshole will get drunk then drive and either kill himself or somebody else.  

    The Drunk Bus gets no sponsors, but hey, no problem to spend hundreds of thousands gambling on government credit cards. This place makes me sick to my stomach.

    • Anonymous says:

      If this place makes you so sick. Go back to where you came from… I normally just read and don’t comment, but enough is enough. Tired of people putting my country down over the simplest and stupidest things. There’s more need for $4000 this Holiday season than hauling a bunch of drunk people around like feeding the hungry and less fortunate. Why don’t you put the money up or at least comment and say you donated to help. You’re the type of person that makes us Caymankind people sick… (kissing my teeth).

      • Anonymous says:

        This is where I come from, but unlike you ol' status quo, I am not happy with the cost of living, gambling on goverment credit cards, CUC mortgage, lack of proper public transport, over-priced health inusrance, crime and robberies, no jobs for Caymanians, shall I go on?? shaking my damn head at you.

      • Anonymous says:

        You cannot be serious. The former CaymanKind premier of the Cayman Islands gambled hundreds of thousands of dollars using the Cayman Islands government credit-line, yet it's the person commenting on CNS that is "putting your country down"? 

        Let me ask you, why didn't the Honorable former premier not "feed the hungry and less fortunate", instead of making $20,000 ATM withdrawls per hour, on gambling trips to the Bahamas and Vegas?

  5. Anonymous says:

    Simple People – If you choose to drink, YOU are responsible for getting your own a** safely home! Not Government or anyone else.  Happy 2015 to Caymanians and Driftwood alike 🙂

  6. Anonymous says:

    $4000 for one bus for one night?!?  Seems like it could probably be done for a few hundred bucks.

    • Anonymous says:

      Can you just, please, read the article. While they never said how many buses they use, they clearly stated the around 1200 people used the service last year between 11 and 2, so… do the math. they use several buses.

    • Anonymous says:

      The extra money goes to clean up the vomit.

      It is, after all, a drunk bus.

  7. Anonymous says:

    NDC's loud and clear message should be DONT drink . This bus idea is a good one but is NDC the right organization to provide it. Seems like a mixed message, don't drink but if you do we will get you home safely. I hope someone will offer the service ! 

  8. Anonymous says:

    Alden, Osbourne, Anthony, Mckeeva ?   4000 that's all.

    You are making 100k a month together, so ?

     

    • Anonymous says:

      Them???? you must joking! You all keep electeing these bozo the clowns to office and then get upset when they do what they do best, which is NOTHING!!! They are only there to serve themselves.

  9. Designated Des says:

    People should stop relying on hand-outs and be responsible for their own actions. Make arrangements to get home safely before going out if you are a drinker… Use common sense and stay safe.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Just wondering; has the NDC thought of holding a telethon type activity (maybe in Oct – Nov) to allow for any and all (including those who will utilize the service) to donate to such a worthy cause?

    Rather than waiting until the eleventh hour….

    And it seems that just a fraction of the amounts that were wasted on things like "Nation Building Fund" and paving select private drives and parking lots (AKA vote buying) would be money well spent…."to keep our roads safer"! For residents and visitors alike.

     

  11. Anonymous says:

    Police need to park outside the business places when closing time.

  12. Kadafe says:

    Well if the RCIPS care so much why didn't they pay for it this year?  I'm sure they must have some bud jet left after buying their new cars. Not like they spend it on catching actual criminals! Why not give back something to the community?

  13. Anonymous says:

    Dart would probably do this but if he did all you'd hear is "that damn Dart again… he gets everything".  No matter what Dart does, someone is going to slag him.  I for one am sick of all the Dart bashing.

    • Anonymous says:

      Uh yuh, we see that. Nice pertinent comment. If youre sick, grab a bucket and be quiet. 

  14. Anonymous says:

    The NDC should not be involved in this type of activity.  Its a worthy cause though and should not rely on charity to run, it should be a dully funded service.

  15. Anonymous says:

    Perhaps RCIPS could sponsor this with some of their $30 million budget!

  16. Anonymous says:



    There should be a reliable public transport sytem available all year round covering from say 6am until midight with extensions at weekends and holidays. It should be put to tender for the hours to be covered by a minimum amount of drivers with a consructed timetable.

    Now bus drivers work when they choose… mostly day time leaving  void in the evenings.

    The private sector should not have to fund it

    • Anonymous says:

      Oh god you are right but we know that a supposedly open te dering process will be far from "open", we also know through bitter experiemce that  the service would be provided at a hugely inflated cost (foi on school transport perhaps needed here).  You would think that it is important to make Cayman safe for tourists and residents alike, therefore transport is a public issue rewuiring government funding except I dont trust them to provide a cost effective service.

  17. ReAlDeAl says:

    Amazing how some of these companies work in Cayman. How much money these liquor stores make during the Holidays and you don’t see "Reflections" "Big Daddy's" “Jacques Scotts" or any other big Liquor store sponsoring this event! Such a shame to be making profits from the alcohol, but not supporting the safety on NYE!

    • Anonymous says:

      Even more amazing:  someone clever enough to make a plan to incapacitate themselves could forget to plan how to get themselves home. Einsteins….not

    • Peter Dutton says:

      Just for the record, ReAlDeAl, Jacques Scott & Co did offer to sponsor the bus but our cheque was returned as it did not appear there were enough other sponsors. Happy New Year to you.

    • ReAlDeAl says:

      Thank you Jacques Scott, CNB and the Health Service Authority for stepping up to the plate. Shows great leadership and responsibility in our community.

      Shame the "other" liquor stores only care to benefit off of the season and not hold any accountability.

  18. Anonymous says:

    This bus should run every night of the week and not just NY eve! What a shame someone can't at least sponsor it for NY eve.- the biggest drinking night of the year!

    • Anonymous says:

      Please, please, please, stop enabling addicts. Thank you. 

      • Anonymous says:

        What a ridiculous comment! The vast majority of people who enjoy a drink on New Year's Eve (or any other night of the year) are not "addicts". As adults over the legal drinking age, we have a perfect right to make a choice of whether or not to imbibe alcohol. The issue here is the lack of available transport to get people safely home. Given the exorbitant prices charged by taxis on island, and the increasing number of muggings seen over the last year, this bus service would be a valuable asset to enable all members of the community to get home safely and without putting themselves or others at risk. I am not sure why the bus companies and NDC haven't explored the possibility of charging a nominal fee to cover at least part of the cost. Given the fact that taxis on a normal night will charge $25 for a short trip along West Bay Road, I would imagine many people would be happy to pay a few dollars for the safety and convenience of this service.

        • Anonymous says:

          I would challenge your first point, about who is an addict. 

        • Anonymous says:

          I agree with the above poster. I may not even have a drink on NY eve (actually, I didn't) and I would have taken this bus service home if I lived there just for safety. I do not like to be on the roads on NY eve with other people who are certainly over the limit.

      • Anonymouss says:

        Does the free bus ride come with free sponsored liquor too like Cayman Airways?

  19. Anonymous says:



    There should be a reliable public transport sytem available all year round covering from say 6am until midight with extensions at weekends and holidays. It should be put to tender for the hours to be covered by a minimum amount of drivers with a consructed timetable.

    Now bus drivers work when they choose… mostly day time leaving  void in the evenings.

    The private sector should not have to fund it

  20. Anonymous says:

    There should be no need for the bus service since we are told to not drink and drive. This is not the way to bring in the new year, drunk at some bar. People should be on their knees crying out to God for mercy.

    • Cheese face says:

      The only person I'll get on my knees for is one of the miss Cayman contestants.

    • Anonymous says:

      God helps those that help themselves, not kneeling and cowering in fear of his wrath all day. God made us in his image, so perhaps grow a pair, like he gave you

  21. Anonymous says:

    A free bus service is not needed.

    What we need is for ALL taxi's to be governed by meters so everyone can use them without concern for price gouging. The shame is that the taxi owners do not realise that the use of meters would enable them to make more money not less.

    • Anonymous says:

      I fully agree. I got a cab home the other night and he only charged me 13 bucks….however i was so slammed i slurred something about having a good weekend and dropped him 25 bucks and almost fell outta the cab. Good value i say !