business@tribunemedia.net
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
$5.30 $4.90
$5.35
$5.33
$5.12
School run stress: 15% quit or change their job By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net MORE than one in seven Bahamians have had to quit or change jobs to cope with the demands of school drop-offs and pick-ups, an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report has revealed, with more than one-third blaming this for inhibiting career and income-earning opportunities. The multilateral lender, unveiling the results of a study on how the daily ‘school run’ impacts parents and adult “caregivers”, said the findings showed lower income Bahamian households and families “face greater difficulty absorbing
* Over 35% say drop-off, pick-up hurts income and career * Similar number left ‘physically exhausted’ by commutes * Employers forced to adjust shifts so employees can cope the demands” from the early morning and mid-afternoon commutes - not least because they are more likely to have just one or no vehicles. The IDB study, which focused on four New Providence schools and surveyed 477 parents, as well as interviewing teachers, principals, security guards and bus drivers, found that more than 37 percent of those polled reported being late
for work at least once in the prior month due to the stresses and traffic congestion associated with the school run. And some 35 percent of survey respondents had asked their employers for “flexibility”, such as adjusted work hours or being able to work from home, just so that they can cope with transporting school age children. The IDB study said the pressures on productivity
are so great in Nassau that companies have adjusted shift times to facilitate staff school runs, one employer revealing they have introduced a 12pm to 8pm shift specifically for this purpose. The report, produced by five members of the IDB’s transportation division, gives an insight into the tangible negative impacts created by pressures surrounding the twice-daily school commute with
many parents struggling to balance caring for children with their career. The survey found almost 36 percent of parents agreeing that school transportation duties “leave them physically exhausted”. And nearly 7 percent of survey respondents confirmed they have had to “quite a job entirely” to ensure they can drop-off or pick up their children, with more than 8 percent stating
they had to change employment for the same reason. This means 15 percent, or more than one in seven Bahamians, have have seen their income and job prospects negatively hit by ‘school run’ challenges. “The responsibilities associated with ensuring children's safe and timely transport to school significantly shape caregivers'
TRANSPORT - See Page B4
Briland operator hit by ‘We’re in for a rough ride’: bar on repeat bookings Shipping firm raises rates By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
* But hails its trademark win as ‘very positive’ * Conch & Coconut in US, Bahamian injunctions
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
A Briland tourism operator is now the subject of injunctions from both the Bahamian and US courts after a Florida judge barred it from “soliciting bookings” from repeat customers originally secured by its estranged US business partner. Judge Kathleen Williams, in a pre-Christmas verdict, prohibited Julian ‘Shaq’ Gibson, head of the Conch & Coconut tour operator, destination management and visitor “concierge” business, from both marketing and promoting its
services to repeat guests and using customer data “originated and maintained” by Pablo Conde and his Florida operation prior to the break-up of their business partnership. However, her December 22, 2025, decision rejected Mr Conde’s bid for a separate injunction that would have prevented Mr Gibson and his Harbour Island-based tourism business from being able to use the Conch & Coconut trademarks. Mr Conde claimed he owned this intellectual
Bahamians were yesterday warned to brace “for a rough ride” as cost of living pressures show no signs of easing with a major shipping carrier unveiling a general rate increase (GRI) for all cargo moving between this nation and the US with effect from January 18, 2026. Thomas Sands, the Eleuthera Chamber of Commerce president, told Tribune Business he sees no sign of price and inflationary pressures “diminishing” after King Ocean Services unveiled
property, and that Mr Gibson and the Bahamian operation had not been legally permitted to continue using them, but the south Florida federal court judge found he had granted the latter a “naked licence” and thus extinguished any claim for copyright and trademark breaches. Mr Gibson declined to comment when contacted by Tribune Business yesterday, stating that his Bahamian attorneys had
BATTLE - See Page B5
Sir Ian rejects Bahamian Banks: We weren’t all hit bank as Sandals trustee by Xmas transaction woe By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Supreme Court has dismissed the bid by the late Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart’s wife for a Bahamian bank to be appointed co-judicial trustee of the trust that holds the Sandals and Beaches resort chains after finding there is “no material risk” their assets will be stolen or misused. Sir Ian Winder, the chief justice, in an October 17, 2025, verdict that was publicly disclosed for the first time yesterday rejected the attempt by Cheryl Hammersmith-Stewart, the late Sandals founder’s third wife, to have the Private Trust Corporation made “independent judicial co-trustee” of the trust that holds the Sandals resort chain’s parent company.
She pushed for its appointment in an attempt to counter the alleged control Adam Stewart, Sandals’ executive chairman and the late founder’s son, purportedly has over the resort group in an increasingly acrimonious battle between the Jamaican and US sides of the latter’s family over his estate. Mrs Hammersmith-Stewart had claimed Adam Stewart had used this control to his own benefit and advantage against the interests of herself and her children, but Sir Ian dismissed the bid to install the Private Trust Corporation after finding she had failed to establish “prima facie evidence” that Sandals assets faced a “real and present danger” of being misused.
TRUSTEE - See Page B3
By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@ tribunemedia.net SEVERAL Bahamian commercial banks yesterday asserted their customers did not fall victim to unauthorised deductions from their accounts and debit/credit cards during the recent Christmas holiday, with one senior executive saying: “Water finds the open point.” Gowon Bowe, Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) chief executive, said the BISXlisted bank and others did not experience a high volume of consumers reporting unauthorised transactions amid reports that some Bank of The Bahamas customers were impacted by this.
A Grand Bahama customer of Bank of The Bahamas, speaking on condition of anonymity, said several other clients were also in its branch on the island demanding to know what had happened when she went to check what had happened. “It was packed in there; not only the Christmas crowd but people trying to find out what was going on with their accounts. It was a mess,” she said. Social media posts claimed that Bank of the Bahamas accounts were accessed without permission. Many users expressed concern and shared personal stories online, with some speculating about the cause and others warning friends and family to check
AUTHORISED - See Page B3
freight cost increases of $75 and $150, respectively, for shipping 20 and 40-foot equivalent unit containers between The Bahamas and the US. Those containers exceeding 40 feet will incur an additional $169 charge, and Mr Sands described King Ocean - which has scheduled service to most Bahamian islands on a weekly or twice-weekly basis - as a “lifeline” especially for his food store business given the “reliable” service and refrigerated containers that it offers. Other private sector sources last night questioned whether other
major shipping companies supplying The Bahamas will follow King Ocean, the former Seacor’s lead, and raise their own freight charges or if they will stay put. They added that should King Ocean prove an outlier with its move, set to take effect in less than two weeks, then it could become uncompetitive with Bahamian businesses and consumers switching to other carriers. “I mean it’s the reality of what we face; rising costs across the board,” Mr Sands told this newspaper of King Ocean’s increases. “They offer good service. I
CHARGES - See Page B5