Category: News

Social media reports false and malicious

Posted on by Jamaica urban Transit Company Limited
The Jamaica Urban Transit Company, JUTC, is unequivocally denying  reports circulating on social media, that the Chinese firm, CHEC, is to acquire the state run bus company.
The report is not only false, mischievous and malicious but comes at a time when the nation is grappling to contain the spread of COVID-19.
We take this opportunity to thank our frontline team of drivers, dispatchers and customer service staff for the tremendous work they are doing and continue to do in the face of adversity. Together, we  will rise again and get pass this pause.

Finally, the JUTC has purchased Golden Dragon buses out of China more than three years ago, and the Company continues to have a healthy working relationship with its Chinese partners.

JUTC only facilitating the movement of essential workers during St. Catherine lockdown

Posted on by Jamaica urban Transit Company Limited

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company, JUTC, is advising the public that following the announcement by the Government of a one-week lockdown of the parish of St. Catherine, it will ONLY be facilitating the movement into and out of the parish of essential workers. The lockdown which began at 5am this morning will run until April 22, 2020, is in the wake of a dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.

Deputy Managing Director in charge of Operations Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Godphey Sterling says persons who are non-essential workers will be accommodated to pursue the essentials of life within the parish but that is to be done within the stipulated time. He says while the hours of operations for the JUTC remain unchanged, commuters in St. Spanish Town and Portmore should take note of the following –

  1. Between the hours of 5:00am and 8:00am today only personnel in the essential services may ride the buses with appropriate identification.
  2. Between 8:00am and 10:00am only persons 65 yrs and older, pregnant persons and the disabled may ride the buses within the parish of St. Catherine.
  3. Between 10:00am and 1:30pm persons with surnames beginning with the letters A to M may ride the buses with appropriate identification.
  4. Between 1:30pm and 5:00pm persons with surnames beginning with the letters N to Z may ride the buses with appropriate identification.
  5. We are prepared to provide a shuttle type service within the municipality of Portmore between areas of commerce and population centres between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm. Provided there is a demand.
  6. We will review these measures where necessary and adjust accordingly as we continue to monitor the situation.

 

During the one-week lockdown, there will be 2 days to pursue the essentials of life. Medical emergencies will be treated with as they arise. These days are Wednesday, April 15, 2020 and Saturday, April 18, 2020.  We are appealing to persons who are not classified as first responders or essential workers to stay home as we work towards containing COVID-19.

Normal Operations Continue At JUTC Despite Curfew

Posted on by Jamaica urban Transit Company Limited

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC), wishes to advise the public that we will operate as normal despite the curfew.

This comes in the wake of concerns expressed by our stakeholders following our earlier statement regarding operational changes due to the curfew.

The JUTC wishes to apologize to its valued customers who may have been forced to make alternative plans based on the information sent out yesterda

The company continues to play its part in providing valuable transportation services to the public including members of the essential services.

We will continue to monitor the situation and update the public accordingly.

We urge persons to continue to monitor the media for updates on our operations.

Be safe, be safe, be alert in this COVID-19 pandemic as we all work  to contain the spread of the virus.

This statement supersedes our earlier release yesterday.

JUTC Announces Operational Changes Starting Tomorrow Due To Curfew

Posted on by Jamaica urban Transit Company Limited

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC), has announced operational changes effective Wednesday, April 1, 2020. This is in light of an island-wide curfew from 8pm to 6am starting tomorrow, to contain the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The curfew is to last for seven days.

Managing Director of the JUTC Paul Abrahams says the curfew will impact all routes, but more so the premium service which operates outside of Kingston. He says the following measures will be implemented tomorrow in accordance with the curfew:

  • The roll-out of buses will start no later than 8a.m.
  • Routes that originate and terminate in Kingston will have a 10-15 minutes headway
  • Portmore routes/out of town routes (Longsville, Clarendon, White Water/Inswood, Old Harbour) will have a headway 30 minutes
  • Hill routes (Above Rocks and Border) including 52, 53, 54, 61 their last run will be at 4:30pm
  • The last available bus will be at 5pm which will allow for drivers on completion of their cycle trip to return back to the depot to conclude their duties and go back home before the curfew deadline.

We will review these measures where necessary and adjust accordingly as we continue to monitor the situation.

Sanitization of JUTC buses on in earnest to limit the spread of the Coronavirus

Posted on by Jamaica urban Transit Company Limited

Jamaica has now recorded its 8th case of the coranavirus (COVID-19), joining more than 100 countries which have so far been impacted. We are closely monitoring the developments around the virus and wish to share with you what we are doing to mitigate its spread.

Prior to the confirmation of these cases, the Jamaica Urban Transit Company, JUTC, was taking all the necessary precautionary steps possible to ensure our readiness. We have and continue to consult the Ministry of Health and Wellness, to ensure we are aware of, and aligned with, guidance regarding travel. As part of our sensitization programme, we have dispatched brochures from the Ministry of Health to inform both our internal and external publics about how to treat with the virus, email and whatspp messages as well host several internal meetings.

We take our customers’ safety seriously which has always been, and remains, our number one priority. We have activated our emergency protocol a major part of which is the sanitization of buses. Buses are normally cleaned once per day as part of our standard operating procedure, but this will now be amplified as we introduce additional measures to sanitize our units. Here is what has been done to date:

  • A schedule has been created for disinfecting buses, depots, and our major hubs
  • On March 12, 2020 the JUTC began the sanitisation of high touch areas of the Company’s buses and depots. This will continue for the initial period of lockdown. The activity will be modified if necessary as time progresses.
  • We have established a Command Centre that will monitor the impact of the virus on commuters and staff
  • We have begun placing alcohol and hand sanitizer dispensers at entrance and exits across our operations
  • We have procured goods to include antibacterial soap, bleach, alcohol and will continue to do so
  • Cleaning crews have been dispatched, to strategic bus terminals (North Parade and the Half Way Tree Transport Centre), who will clean the bus after each cycle trip. This is in addition to cleaning that will take place at respective depots. This protocol will be modified if required.
  • Our media campaign to sensitize Jamaicans began on Friday, March 13, 2020 and will be ramped up next week.

 

We encourage our staff and commuters to follow the guidelines from the Ministry of Health to wash their hands regularly and to cover their nose and mouth with tissue if they have to sneeze or cough and to dispose of the tissue when they are through. We are also encouraging commuters to throw the tissue in a bin at the end of their journey and not to leave the tissue inside the bus.

We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated. Should you have any query or concern, please feel free to call us on 876.749.3192-9, visit our website at www.jutc.gov.jm or any of our social media handles @jutcltd on Twitter, facebook.com/jutcltd or instagram.com/jutcltd.

We remain committed to providing you a safe travel environment and look forward to your support.

Elderly male pedestrian dies after he was reportedly struck by a JUTC bus

Posted on by Jamaica urban Transit Company Limited

Spanish Town, St. Catherine – The Kingston Central Police have launched an investigation into the death of a pedestrian after he was reportedly struck by a JUTC bus on the weekend in Down Town, Kingston.

He has been identified as Daryl Wright, 73, of 11 Miles Bull, St. Thomas.

The accident occurred along East Parade in the vicinity of the Coke Methodist Church.

It is reported that around 3:25pm Saturday, January 25, 2020, the bus was heading south along East Parade in the right lane and on reaching the Coke Methodist Church the driver said he suddenly heard an impact to the right side of the bus. He said that upon hearing the sound he quickly stopped the bus and found out that an elderly male pedestrian had been hit and that he had fallen to the roadway.

Police personnel who were quick on the scene took the injured pedestrian to hospital for treatment, where he was admitted. Mr. Wright later succumbed to his injuries.

Unidentified man succumb to injuries following incident with JUTC chartered bus and International Tractor Head Sunday

Posted on by Jamaica urban Transit Company Limited

Spanish Town, St. Catherine –An unidentified man has succumbed to injuries following an incident involving an International Tractor Head which made contact with a JUTC chartered bus along the Green Acres main road in the vicinity of Meadowrest on Sunday, January 19, 2020.

According to reports around 4:30pm Sunday afternoon, a JUTC chartered bus was travelling along Green Acres main road heading in the direction of Spanish Town. On reaching a section along the roadway an International Tractor Trailer Head registered CF7185 was travelling in the opposite direction. The JUTC driver reported that when he observed the International Tractor Trailer Head approaching the bus, he veered further left, mounted the embankment and stopped. He said the Tractor Trailer made contact with the bus while passing and upon examination of the damage to the bus he saw a man lying on the roadway suffering from injuries. The driver reported that he called the police for assistance and the injured man was taken to the Spanish Town Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The matter is being investigated by the Spanish Town Police.

Hellshire Shuttle Notice

Posted on by Jamaica urban Transit Company Limited

This advises that effective Wednesday, October 16, 2019, there will be an on the hour shuttle service on weekdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm between Hellshire and Greater Portmore.
Passengers will be allowed a free transfer from the shuttle to any route departing Greater Portmore to half way tree or down town.

Similarly, passengers in Half Way Tree or down town between the hours of 10:00 am and 2:00 pm may take any bus to Greater Portmore (17, 17a, 18, 18a, 20, 20a) and transfer free to the Hellshire shuttle.

The Hellshire shuttle route number is 100.

JUTC to terminate service at 8pm this evening

Posted on by Jamaica urban Transit Company Limited

The management of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company, JUTC, is advising the public, that it will terminate its service at 8pm due to lingering safety concerns among its drivers.

Service is expected to resume at 5am tomorrow.

We continue to meet and discuss the attendant issues with our drivers, several of whom showed up for work this morning. Meetings were held across all depots and counselling sessions were conducted at the Rockfort depot.

Meanwhile, the phased roll-out of buses began today on selective routes. These are – Spanish Town Depot – 21, 21B, 22, 22A, 23A, 26, 30, 31, 31A, 32, 32B, 44, 46 and 47.  Rockfort Depot – 83, 97, 99, 89 and 78.  Portmore Depot – 1, 1A, 3, 3A, 8A, 12, 12A, 16, 17,20, and 20A.

We continue to assess the situation and hope to have a full restoration of service in short order.

We crave the understanding of our commuters and thank our security partners and our drivers for their commitment to service.

UPDATE – JUTC to beef up security across its operations

Posted on by Jamaica urban Transit Company Limited

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company, JUTC, is to enhance security across its operations following two incidents resulting in the deaths of an employee and a taxi operator. The Company hopes to have a phased roll-out of buses from its Spanish Town and Portmore depots on Wednesday morning.

Managing Director of the JUTC, Paul Abrahams, said the staff at the Rockfort depot are tense and fearful. “One can understand their unwillingness to go out, given that the driver who was killed was from this depot. We will be providing counselling support in addition to staff bus protection in the hope that this situation will quickly come to a resolution. Consequently, we anticipate that Portmore and Spanish Town drivers will show up for the resumption of service,” Mr. Abrahams said.

In addition, some 40 police officers along with private security guards have been deployed to strategic locations to provide static duty. These include but are not limited to – the Half Way Tree Transport Centre, North Odean Avenue, Down Town, Papine to Half Way Tree, Chancery Street and North and South Parades.

Meanwhile, the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre is expected to be reopened tomorrow after it was closed due to a bomb scare.