Category: News

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company, JUTC, is advising the public that as a result of a breakaway on a section of the main road to Above Rocks, St. Catherine, it will have to shorten the journey for buses which ply route 53 (Half Way Tree, Constant Spring, Stony Hill and Above Rocks).

 

The breakaway is in the vicinity of the Above Rocks Police Station which is located between the terminal point and the turnaround point for buses.

 

Corporate Communications Manager, Cecil Thoms, says the weight and vibration of the bus when passing this area could contribute to a further collapsing of the road.

He says the safety of commuters is paramount, and so buses that ply the route will not cross the breakaway.

 

Our buses will now turn around at Parks Road which is approximately a mile and a half from the terminus, and will undoubtedly impact a significant number of passengers, but it’s best to be safe than sorry.

 

He says the truncation of the route is likely to be in place until the road is fixed, and that the bus company is in touch with stakeholders.

SPANISH TOWN, St. Catherine: Following discussions with Transport Minister Robert Montague, a decision has been taken to grant sub-franchise operators an additional week to pay their road licenses. The road licenses will expire on Sunday, March 31, 2019, however, operators will now have until Monday, April 8, 2019 to renew their licenses.

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

The JUTC collaborates with private operators to provide supplemental services on certain routes within the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region where the Company by virtue of certain operational challenges cannot efficiently operate. Currently there are some 400 private vehicle owners that benefit from this partnership and provide public transportation services on select routes.

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC), has launched a wide scale investigation into an incident involving a former member of staff who drove away a bus from one of its depots, which caused minor damage to a motor car in Grants Pen, St. Andrew, on Sunday, December 23, 2018. No one was hurt or injured in the incident.

According to reports, the former staff who was employed as a mechanic, came onto the compound in another bus which had reportedly developed mechanical problems along North Parade, Kingston. It is reported that the driver of the bus allowed the ex-employee to drive the bus back to the depot. It is further alleged that while at the depot, the ex-employee gained access to another unit and drove it out of the compound without the requisite security and operational clearance.

Preliminary assessment has so far revealed that the driver of the bus which allowed the ex-employee access to the facility was not aware that the former employee was no longer working with the Company.

“This is a very serious security and operational breach and the matter is being dealt with at the highest level. The matter has been reported to the Police and we await the outcome of their investigations”, said Corporate Communications Manager, Cecil Thoms. He said the Company has also met with its security provider regarding the security breach and is also conducting a review of internal operations pending the final report into the matter.

In the meantime, the Company has engaged retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Granville Gause to launch a wide scale investigation into the incident.