Category: News

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.