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All Sint Maarten Belvedere Tata the Bus Driver

Tata the Bus Driver

A roundabout in the West Indies that pays tribute to a bus driver who brokered no-nonsense on the school route.

Belvedere, Sint Maarten

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Terence Baker
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Tata the Bus Driver   Bruce Tuten / CC BY 2.0
Tata the Bus Driver   Bruce Tuten / CC BY 2.0
  Bruce Tuten / CC BY 2.0
Tata the Bus Driver   Bruce Tuten / CC BY 2.0
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On a nondescript roundabout close to the border of Saint Martin but in Sint Maarten, the Dutch half of the island, is a statue of Jean-Frederique Brooks, a bus driver who ran the school route and kept mischievous pupils firmly in line.

Brooks is kept company on the roundabout by statues of Alexander Lionald Richardson, a butcher who supposedly had 42 children, many of whom probably were on Tata's bus, and Florian Eulalie Duzanson, who baked for free for those who could not afford tasty treats. Many relatives attended the official unveiling in 2009.

All three of those commemorated have passed away, but they remain standing tall and proud for modern-day drivers to enjoy. Island authorities said they regard them as folk heroes. Tata's statue is the most memorable, holding only a steering wheel to represent the whole of the bus he was so noted for maneuvering around island avenues.

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Transportation Local History Statues

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Added By

terence2393

Edited By

cjklever, Michelle Cassidy

  • cjklever
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

March 1, 2023

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  • https://smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin-news/3604-belvedere-roundabout-officially-opened-forefathers-honored
Tata the Bus Driver
A.T. Illidge Rd. and Bishop Hill Rd.
Belvedere, 97150
Sint Maarten
18.054672, -63.03757
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