The Jamaica Urban Transit Company, JUTC, and the Police have launched an investigation into last night’s fire which destroyed a bus on Hope Road that was coming from Downtown via Mountain View Avenue, Kingston.

Reports are that around 7:35pm, the driver set down passengers at a bus stop adjacent to the Clock Tower Plaza on Hope Road, when he was alerted by other passengers that there was a fire inside the back of the bus. The driver reportedly ushered the remaining passengers off the unit with a view to put out the fire with an extinguisher. However, the bus became quickly engulfed in flames.

The Managing Director of the JUTC, Paul Abrahams, says preliminary reports from the Police and our investigators reveal that the engine compartment was not damaged or burnt. It is therefore clear that investigators must pursue a different angle” he said. No one was injured and for that we are truly grateful, continued Mr. Abrahams.

Meanwhile, Corporate Communications Manager, Cecil Thoms is seeking to allay fears concerning the safety of JUTC buses. He says the buses as a matter of course are routinely serviced and maintained. “Our drivers are also trained such that they disembark passengers as a matter of priority in treating with these issues when they arise” he said.

We await the outcome of the investigations.