An employee of the Spanish Town depot has tested positive for the Coronavirus.
In a bid to minimize any potential spread of the virus, the Company has requested that all employees who may have come in contact with the staff member to stay home.
Meanwhile, emergency sanitization and deep cleaning of the depot has been arranged.
The illness of the staff will not affect the operations of the Company.
Commuters are being advised to take note of the following changes in our operations due to an adjustment in the curfew hours beginning at 8:00pm nightly, effective tonight, and ending at 5:00am daily until February 24, 2021. This, following a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases.
Our morning operations will remain unchanged. However, there will be adjustments to our afternoon peak. Please see below:
We are encouraging our passengers to adhere to the protocols, by washing their hands frequently, sanitize as often as possible and by wearing a mask. Let us continue to do all we can to minimize the risk of transmission. Keep safe.
The Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited, JUTC, is confirming reports circulating on social media that two of our drivers were abducted and robbed at gun-point outside of our Rockfort Depot in Kingston on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.
It is reported that about 8pm, the drivers’ shift ended and they were standing in front of the depot awaiting public transportation when a black seven-seater vehicle with red plates stopped. They boarded the taxi and upon reaching the vicinity of Caribbean Cement Company, they were held at gun point and knife point, tied up and abducted by three men who were posing as passengers. They took their personal valuables; including cash and the company’s identification cards. They reportedly drove around with the staff for four hours eventually releasing them at the Waterfront in downtown, Kingston.
The matter has been reported to the police and an investigation into the incident is underway. The JUTC is urging the Police Command to treat this matter with alacrity to bring the perpetrators to justice. We are further appealing to the police to increase their presence in the area to make staff and residents feel safe.
Corporate Communications Manager Cecil Thoms says the incident is regrettable and represents a major challenge faced by the society at large. “I am especially grateful that they were not physically harmed but understandably have been traumatized by the incident. We will be providing psycho-social support to them shortly to deal with this unfortunate ordeal.”
The JUTC provides a pick-up service for its staff twice daily, early in the mornings (from as early as 2am) and in the evenings (from 9/10pm) pending curfew times.
We are appealing to anyone with information that can assist the police in their investigation to contact the police. We also wish to appeal our commuters to remain vigilant during this festive season.
A Jamaica Urban Transit Company, JUTC, Bus Cleaner tragically lost his life last night following an accident at the Portmore Depot.
He has been identified as 41 years old Rohan Robinson, who worked in the Maintenance Department washing the undercarriages of buses.
It is understood that shortly after 10pm, a 2016 bus was at the Wash Bay, when Mr. Robinson attempted to move the unit to another area when he crashed into a column and two other buses. Upon hearing the loud impact, staff members rushed to the scene where they saw Mr. Robinson slumped over the steering. A staff member entered the unit to render first aid, however, his efforts were futile as Mr. Robinson was unresponsive.
The Police Emergency number was called and at approximately 11:20pm a team of Police Officers, an Ambulance and Jamaica Fire Brigade personnel were dispatched to the location. Mr. Robinson was removed from the vehicle, assessed by the team that operated the Ambulance and was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was subsequently removed and taken to a funeral parlour.
The matter is under active investigation by the Police as well as the Accident and Investigative Unit of the JUTC, as bus cleaners are not authorised to drive or move buses.
Staff members described Mr. Robinson as a co-operative and amiable employee who was always willing to assist and go the extra mile. He has been with the JUTC since April 2014.
Employees at the Portmore Depot will be provided with counselling to deal with the loss.
The Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC) wishes to set the record straight amidst reports that have surfaced about overcrowding at the Half Way Tree Transport Centre, the Downtown Hub and a number of its Lay-bys. These instances of stranded commuters are being attributed to mismanagement and a shortage of buses.
The JUTC has always acknowledged the chronic shortage of buses to service the requirements for passenger lift within the two very distinct peak periods daily. Corporate Communications Manager, Cecil Thoms says with there being no exemptions to the JUTC, the curfew has restricted the operating hours of the bus company. “What we have is a situation where significant shortage of buses has been compounded with a seated-only policy and a concomitant increase in commuters at the Centre between 4:30pm and 6pm daily, resulting in a passenger rush at the end of the permitted hours of operation” Thoms said.
He noted that the Company is working aggressively to ensuring that outer points that support the Centre provide greater inflows as best as possible to meet demand. However, the absence of dedicated bus lanes, signal prioritization at traffic lights and queue jump lanes means that the cycle times increase with an increase in traffic on the roads. Therefore, while every effort is being made to ameliorate the situation there can be no guarantees in the transit times from the outer points to the Centre.
Meanwhile, he noted that while both gates at the Centre are closed at 5:30pm, there are no restrictions on buses to enter or for passengers, if seats are available. But, from a security standpoint, a decision has to be taken daily to close the gates based on the assessed departure time for the last runs of the day along the various routes. These times are available from the JUTC’s website and other social media platforms.
“We are appealing to passengers to download our last trip departure schedule which is available on our website so that they can better manage their daily commute for the remainder of the curfew, as well as to wear facial masks to protect themselves and other commuters. Also, employers and commuters can help us by better planning their days so that everyone is not in the Centre at the same time standing in long queues” Thoms said.
