The V.I. Department of Public Works is evaluating what it would take to introduce Saturday fixed-route VITRAN service across the territory, an expansion that could cost approximately $570,000 once operator salary increases are factored in, while the department also moves toward completion of its long-range transportation plan.
During a meeting of the Senate Committee on Housing, Transportation and Telecommunications, Acting Public Works Commissioner Rueben Jennings detailed the department’s 2050 Transportation Master Plan, public transportation initiatives and several road improvement projects underway or being planned across the territory.
According to Jennings, the 2050 Transportation Master Plan is “intended to provide a comprehensive roadmap for how residents, visitors, and goods move throughout the Territory over the next 25 years.”
Planning began in March 2025, with public meetings held in May 2025 and February 2026. The study will consider anticipated population changes, economic activity, future traffic conditions, transportation alternatives and emerging clean-energy transportation technologies, Jennings explained. DPW anticipates sharing the plan with the public “before the end of the year.”
Alongside the Master Plan, DPW is conducting a comprehensive transit planning study branded as USVI Transit Connect and funded through a Federal Transit Administration grant. The study is examining VITRAN’s fixed-route bus system, paratransit services, ferry operations, transit facilities and supporting infrastructure.
Jennings said the study is intended to “identify opportunities to better align services with passenger needs, improve mobility, and increase access to employment, essential services, and other key destinations…” Public feedback will also play a role in shaping the recommendations, helping the department “identify service needs and inform the recommendations,” he said.
Although the study remains underway, DPW has already developed plans to introduce Saturday fixed-route bus service territory-wide. Jennings cautioned that the final schedule and scope of the service will depend on available resources.
“Final bus schedules and service levels must account for ridership demand, destinations, available fleet, operator staffing, overtime, and other operating costs,” he said. DPW is currently “evaluating the resources necessary to expand service.”
Jennings told Senator Marvin Blyden that adding Saturday service could cost an additional $570,000 once salary increases for operators are included.
“The Saturday service will be helpful to persons wanting to go out, especially in areas that are not served by other means of transportation,” said Deputy Commissioner of Transportation Karole Ovesen-McGregor.
A reliable fleet and sufficient operators will be critical to supporting the additional service. DPW recently added 21 medium-duty and paratransit vehicles to its fleet, with seven additional vehicles expected. Jennings said the new vehicles have strengthened VITRAN’s fleet, although “availability and reliability remain operational challenges.”
Lawmakers also raised the possibility of modernizing VITRAN’s passenger infrastructure. Senator Novelle Francis asked whether DPW has plans to upgrade bus shelters with technology that could provide riders with schedules and information about the status of approaching buses.
Ovesen-McGregor said the department is “exploring the possibility of having that service provided for the fixed route.”
Beyond public transportation, DPW is moving ahead with several road and infrastructure projects on St. Croix. Those include repair work in Frederiksted and replacement of the existing temporary bridge on Route 7025 with a new two-lane temporary bridge. Resurfacing of Strand Street is expected to begin during the first week of October.
Additional roadway improvements are being planned for Estate Barren Spot, the entrance to Lagoon Beach and the area surrounding Pearl B. Larsen School.
On St. Thomas, DPW has received bid-package approval from the Federal Highway Administration for replacement of a box culvert in Estate Bonne Resolution and construction of a retaining wall in Estate Mandahl. The projects are associated with damage caused by Tropical Storm Ernesto, while the department continues working with federal officials to secure approval for other repairs.
DPW is also preparing to undertake what Jennings described as “much-needed” repairs in Raphune Hill.
The department is simultaneously advancing projects financed through Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle, or GARVEE, funding. Those projects include improvements to North Shore Road, East Scenic Road and South Side Road on St. Croix.
