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The Bermuda Postal Service
By Stanley Taylor of the Bermuda Philatelic Bureau
 The Bermuda Postal Service has grown in leaps and bounds from its humble beginnings. From men carrying mail on horseback to its most recent addition, registered e-mail, the BPS sure has come a long way.
On Jan. 31, 1784, Joseph Stockdale, the enterprising publisher of Bermuda’s first newspaper, the Bermuda Gazette, installed a letter box on his gate. Here he accepted letters to be delivered by his paper carrier who rode from St. George’s to Dockyard twice a week as Bermuda’s first postal service, announcing his arrival by the blare of a horn.
 That year Stockdale organised an overseas mail service using the brig Porgy to sail between Bermuda and Charleston, S.C. The attempt proved to be too expensive and the service was abandoned after only two months. It was not until 1807 that a monthly overseas service was officially established by the government. This eventually led to the official legislation for government-approved post offices to be passed. By May 20, 1812, two post offices were opened. After decades of service, the Bermuda Postal Service became a member of the Universal Postal Union in 1877.
Apart from the basic objective of gathering and delivering mail, a primary function of the bureau has been to provide sufficient stamps for the general use of the post. It has always been their endeavour to consider the avid stamp collector and enthusiast during the production process, ensuring that stamps produced will always pay homage to the history of the island nation.
From the 1970s to present day, the postal system has evolved rapidly, embracing new technologies. In 2009 alone there were notable changes that took the public by storm. New legislative changes made the mail system more efficient and have forced Bermudians to pay more attention to the service that they receive daily from the post office. The implementation of the RPost Registered E-mail system has taken the Bermuda Post Service to a whole new level of competitive business practices. With the help of evolving technology, Bermuda’s post office system will continue to flourish, making communication easy for all Bermudians.
For more information about the Bermuda Postal Service and the Bermuda Philatelic Bureau, visit www.gov.bm or www.philatelicbureau.com.
Relax, enjoy, save and see Bermuda by bus. A blue or pink pole indicates bus stops. If the pole is topped with blue, the bus travels from Hamilton; if the pole is topped pink, the route is toward Hamilton.
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