Author: @JUTC-RedeV

Our valued commuters,
As you are aware, there are several road works taking place across the entire Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region, KMTR. This will impact our operations. As a result, commuters should expect delays and traffic detours. Additionally, there will be increased traffic on the road network due to the start of the new school year. We are therefore appealing to commuters, to leave out earlier to reach your destination on time.

Just before Summer, we developed an early bird service in Spanish Town, St. Catherine in anticipation for the impact of these road works which starts from 4am until 5:30am to move mass commuters. A similar exercise will be done in Portmore, St. Catherine starting at 5:30am at Dawkins Drive.

Kindly note, that our Portmore operations will be primarily affected. A total of 34 routes will be affected, 24 of which is from Portmore.

We are appealing to you to exercise understanding and restraint despite the distress these infrastructural works may cause. We’ll be working closely with our partners the National Works Agency and the Jamaica Constabulary Force with regards to traffic management and to minimize as best as possible, the impact on you. We look forward to your continued support.

Please see below useful information and maps of detours that will help you determine your travels. We encourage you to keep track of detours by visiting our website www.jutc.gov.jm, the press and our social media pages.

SPANISH TOWN, St. Catherine: The Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited, JUTC, takes note of the public discourse regarding the Transport Minister Robert Montague’s proposal to open up all public routes in Jamaica to all operators who are interested in obtaining a licence to enter the business.

We thank the Minister and Government for the invitation to canvass our views with regards to the development of the industry. As we look ahead, we will be engaging our members with a view to framing our position to the proposal and therefore will make no public comment on the matter pending the conclusion of the national consultations.

Like the Minister, we also take this opportunity to invite other stakeholders to solicit the views of their members and put forward their ideas, so that collectively we can hammer out a solution that not only improves public transportation but also the communities they serve.

SPANISH TOWN – Corporate Office: The Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited, JUTC, wishes to advise its sub-franchise operators, that they have been granted an extension of ten (10) working days commencing October 2, 2017 to October 13, 2017 to renew their road licences. Sub-franchise road licence will become expired on September 30, 2017.

Operators are being encouraged to take advantage of the grace period to avoid prosecution, as no further extensions will be given.

 

A proposal is being finalised for the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) to manage a pilot project to determine the feasibility of transforming the publicly owned bus service to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel platform.

This was disclosed by Transport and Mining Minister, Hon. Mike Henry, during his contribution to the 2017/18 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on April 12.

Mr. Henry said this is to be rolled out under JUTC stewardship at Montego Bay Metro Bus Company in the Second City, through a bus and fuel supply platform, with technical guidance from New Fortress Energy.

“Success with the project could see the overall publicly operated bus service being gradually switched to LNG, with both efficiency and environmental impact being foremost in mind,” he argued.

Mr. Henry said LNG is a much cleaner fuel than diesel oil, and definitely a much better fuel option from both the economic and environmental perspectives.

The JUTC is also to undertake a separate pilot project, involving one of its depots, for a study on combining diesel oil with compressed natural gas (CNG).

With projected fuel savings of 25 per cent, the project is also expected to come with the additional benefit of removing the unpleasant black soot that comes out of some of the buses.

The initiative is to be undertaken in tandem with the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) and a Venezuelan company.

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) is encouraging persons in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR) and St. Catherine to come out on Saturday, March 25 and benefit from the ‘Big Bacchanal Double Day’ bonanza deal.

The promotion, which is returning after a one-year break, will see SmarterCard holders getting twice the top-up value that is placed on their cards for bus rides.

Marketing and Communications Manager, Reginald Allen, told JIS News that JUTC customers are in for a special treat, as there will be no limit to the top-up amount.

“SmarterCard holders will be happy to know that we have decided not to limit the amount that can be credited to the card and we are reminding them, as well, that there is no expiry date applicable to the promotion,” he said.

He pointed out that special arrangements have been made for senior citizens and special-needs customers within the Corporate Area, who will be accommodated at Stephanie Hall on Half-Way Tree Road and a shuttle service will be provided for them from the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre to the location.

The Marketing and Communications Manager said that there will be more than 100 participating point-of-sale locations within the KMTR as well as in Old Harbour and Linstead, St. Catherine.

These include the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre in St Andrew; the downtown Kingston hub at East Parade; the JUTC Greater Portmore Shopping Centre office in St Catherine; and the Spanish Town Transport Centre, also in St Catherine.

Mr. Allen said that JUTC’s mobile units will be stationed at Pembroke Hall in St. Andrew and Portmore Mall in St. Catherine.

“We have done our best to cover the areas with the highest concentration of users, particularly those along our trunk routes,” he said.

“There will also be outside broadcasts, games and giveaways, courtesy of our corporate sponsors, at our major locations, so we invite everyone to just come out and have a good time with us as we double the value and double the fun,” he said.

Mr. Allen said the Double Day Promotion is a strategic step towards a fully cashless fare collection system and plays a significant role in encouraging customers to acquire and use the SmarterCard.

To benefit from the promotion, customers should have a functional, personalised SmarterCard on Double Day, as no new or replacement cards will be processed on the day.

The Government has allocated $1.3 billion towards the acquisition of spare parts and special tools for the maintenance of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) fleet of buses.

The sum is provided for in the 2017-18 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives.

To be implemented by the Ministry of Transport and Mining with funding provided through the Government’s Consolidated Fund, the project is part of a raft of measures to improve the public passenger transportation sector.

The procurement of the spare parts is intended to enhance the JUTC’s capacity to effect repairs to its fleet of buses as part of its preventive maintenance strategy.

In the meantime, $10 million has been set aside in the Estimates to undertake and complete a feasibility assessment for the proposed Portmore Transportation Centre/Hub.

This allocation is required to commence the second phase of the project (project development), public relations and community sensitisation sessions; and to assist with the pre-project baseline data collection and research execution.

It is anticipated that the facility will greatly improve traffic management in Portmore to ensure the efficient movement of vehicles and facilitate better service planning for the transit company.

Additionally, some $671,000 has been budgeted for the Trifold National Transport Repository Project comprising the Transport Statistics Database, the Transport Research Databank and the Geographic Information System (GIS) Database.

The anticipated targets include: development of a joint interface for the GIS; design and implementation of a Transport Research Databank as well as a Transport Statistics Database; restructuring of the Ministry’s GIS Database and establishment of linkages to statistics and research databases.

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC) officially launched its Customer Care Centre on Thursday (November 5), as it works to improve service delivery to its approximately 240,000 clients.

The centre, which is located at the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre in Kingston was constructed at a cost of some $500,000. It is manned by five call centre representatives, and offers 24-hour service to respond to customer queries and complaints, and deal with conflict resolution.

The facility, which has been operational since February of this year has received 7,500 calls, which is an average of 730 calls per day.

In his remarks at the ceremony, Managing Director of the JUTC, Colin Campbell, noted that the centre is just one of several initiatives by the JUTC to improve service delivery to the public.

He informed that the Customer Service Guides have been increased from 11 to 44 personnel spread across the JUTC customer service access points in Kingston, Greater Portmore and Spanish Town, to provide on-the-ground assistance to commuters.

These guides inform JUTC travellers about routes, tickets and bus schedules as well as provide special assistance to disabled persons, who use the facilities. A customer service information desk was also installed at the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre.

Additionally, the JUTC Managing Director said arrangements are being made to ensure that the 2,173 employees of the JUTC are trained in customer service techniques by March 31. A small group of JUTC staff is currently being taught sign language to facilitate hearing-impaired clients.

Mr. Campbell said that the agency takes its responsibility as the premier public transportation agency in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR) very seriously.

“With 140,000 adult commuters and 100,000 school children, pensioners and disabled commuters every day, we have to service that community and make sure that they not only travel safely, from origin to destination, but that the experience on the JUTC is a positive experience in terms of the customer service,” he stated.

Senior Director (Acting) of the Modernization Programme Implementation Unit, Office of the Cabinet, Michelle Gordon-Somers, commended the JUTC on the initiative, which she said, is in keeping with the Government’s thrust to improve service delivery among the state agencies.

“The establishment of your Customer Care Centre certainly indicates your interest in the wellbeing of your customers and interest in the quality of services accessed by them. It also demonstrates that you have rightly placed priority on delivering excellence to your clients. This initiative is in line with the service delivery thrust currently in place in the public sector,” she noted.

The Customer Care Centre operates under the JUTC’s Special Projects and Corporate Affairs Department.

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) will be adding 100 buses to routes in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR) as of Monday (September 1).

This will bring the number of buses in operation to 445, said the bus company’s Managing Director, Colin Campbell.

He was addressing a media briefing at the JUTC’s Spanish Town Depot in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine on August 27, following a tour of several JUTC locations.

He noted that up to the end of the last school term, the JUTC operated 400 buses, which were then reduced to 345 during the summer period.

“So, on Monday morning, there will be an additional 100 JUTC buses on the road and we expect that this will provide full service for the entire KMTR,” he said.

Mr. Campbell assured that the buses will be running according to a schedule, as the company works to improve the quality of its service to the public.

“We will not just be throwing 445 buses on the road, but we will have a schedule of every single route, all 120 routes that the JUTC operates,” he said.

He informed that those schedules will be posted in the JUTC’s transport centres; on its website http://www.jutc.com/, on flyers; and they will also be published in the two major newspapers on Sunday, August 31.

“So, everybody will be able to buy a copy of the Gleaner, or the Observer on Sunday and you will be able to keep that schedule and select the route that applies to you,” he said.

“You will be able to see how many buses are on that particular route and what is the frequency, what is the first arrival or first departure time in the morning, and you’ll be able to know that “on my route, there is a bus every 10 minutes or every five minutes’ and you’ll be able to plan your life according to that schedule,” Mr. Campbell said.

Prior to the media briefing, the Managing Director, accompanied by several JUTC executives, led a tour of the company’s Spanish Town Depot, Portmore Depot, the Ashenheim Road Maintenance facility and the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre.

Several of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses, which were out of service for lengthy periods, have been repaired in time for the start of the new school term, starting on September 1.

This follows an intensive maintenance programme carried out by the JUTC during the summer period.

Managing Director of the JUTC, Colin Campbell, says this is one of the strategies which have been employed by the company to improve its level of service in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR).

“We expect that once we roll out on Monday morning (September 1), the service to the KMTR will be at an even higher level than it was in the last school year. We intend to carry all the passengers and more than we did last year,” he said.

Mr. Campbell was addressing a media briefing at the JUTC’s Spanish Town Depot in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine, following a tour of several JUTC locations yesterday (August 28).

He noted that while 445 buses will be dispatched for September 1, the repaired buses bring to 503, the total number of buses now available in the JUTC fleet.

“This will enable us to have a reliable service, because if a bus goes down, we can always substitute,” he said, adding that the JUTC has never been in better health, “as far as our fleet is concerned and we intend to keep it that way.”

He noted that several of the buses that were out of service were relatively new units that used to be “cannibalized”, because of the lack of spare parts, where parts would be taken from them to fix other buses.

“A number of our buses, I think almost 30 buses, were out for long-term repairs, meaning buses that were out for more than 365 days. In some cases, buses were out for up to 700 days parked in our garage because they were cannibalized,” he said.

Mr. Campbell said it is intended that the repaired buses will be kept in service now, due to the “very tight policy of no cannibalisation of units in the JUTC.”

Prior to the media briefing, the Managing Director, accompanied by several JUTC executives, led a tour of the company’s Spanish Town Depot, Portmore Depot, the Ashenheim Road Maintenance facility and the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre.