THREE PERSONS including a child have been killed within a week in road accidents involving Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses.
The latest victims are Olive Scott, 53, and nine-year-old Demar Lindsay, both of Friendship Pen, St. Thomas.
Scott and Lindsay were killed Saturday morning when the Toyota Corolla car in which they were travelling on Windward Road, east Kingston, collided with a JUTC bus near to the old Rialto cinema.
Four other passengers in the car were taken to hospital for treatment.
On April 4, a JUTC bus killed Reuben James, 53, plumber, on North Odeon Avenue, Kingston.
According to the Constabulary Communi-cation Network, Mr. James was behind the bus when he was run over.
CCN reports that no charges were laid against the driver but investigations were continuing.
Sterling Soares, president of the JUTC, has expressed regret at the deaths. He said such incidents underscored the need for caution by all road users. The JUTC would continue to be vigilant in ensuring that all its drivers were properly trained and skilled in defensive driving, he said.
Mr. Soares told The Gleaner that over the last 12 months, JUTC buses had been involved in five fatal accidents. Under JUTC policy, a driver who is implicated in three serious accidents will have his services terminated. But he said no driver had been fired for this reason.
JUTC drivers, he said, undergo either a three-week or six-week training course, depending on their level of expertise, before being certified by the Island Traffic Authority.
"They do three weeks if they have a general PPV licence, and six weeks with just a regular driver's licence," he said.
"They also have to do a Grade 9 assessment test, and they are tested for illegal substances such as marijuana, alcohol and cocaine. Their eyesight is also checked," Mr. Soares said.
Drivers go through three weeks of practical training, including defensive driving, at the Advanced Drivers' Training Course in Lakes Pen, St. Catherine, after which they are taken on the road and tested on their handling of the buses.
Only on successful completion of this test can they apply to the JUTC for jobs. If accepted, they must undergo a full medical examination before they are issued with uniforms.
Mr. Soares said that more than 1,000 drivers had been trained since 1998. The company hopes to start a retraining programme this summer. It would include courses on conflict management as well as defensive driving.
