JUTC to revamp service

By Naomi Francis, Staff Reporter

THE JAMAICA Urban Transit Company (JUTC) is to review its operations including current route structures in the wake of a reduction in passenger load since bus fares were hiked in June.

While acknowledging the fall-off in commuter traffic, JUTC chairman Joseph Matalon says a survey is now being done to determine the precise cause(s) of the reduction.

Shortly after government's take over of the National Transport Co-operative Society (NTCS) routes in April, Transport and Works Minister Dr. Peter Phillips said more people were leaving their cars at home to take the bus. But Mr. Matalon noted several buses were now running empty and there were few passengers on several routes.

This, he said, could force the company to remove some of the 430 buses now operating in the Kingston Metropolitan Region (KMTR) or combine some of the routes.

While scheduling on some routes is to be fine-tuned, some communities still have buses going through at five-minute intervals.

"We have to revisit the whole scheduling plan to get it right," he said.

For his part, JUTC managing director Sterling Soares has downplayed the two month old fare increase as the primary reason why fewer people are travelling on the buses.

The increase which came into effect on June 2 coincided with the end of the school year and also at a low point in the commuter travelling season. He said it seemed to be the regular seasonal fluctuation because schools were out. Mr. Matalon contends however that the trend was a cause for concern.

The Transport Authority is also investigating allegations of unfair competition by sub licensees.

According to Mr. Soares, the JUTC has made a formal complaint to the TA that executive buses being operated by the NTCS are setting their prices at rates prescribed for regular buses only.

"We recognise that some executive buses are running as regular buses and undercutting us," Mr. Soares said, adding the Express buses should be charging $60, yet some now charge $30 for a ride from Portmore to Kingston.

During peak hour traffic JUTC buses are not the preferred mode of transportation. Robot taxis and executive buses which can bob and weave through traffic, undercut the potential passenger load of the company by luring people from buses into their vehicles. Often during rush hour a JUTC bus will travel to Portmore with empty seats. The company will work with the Transport Authority and the police to tackle this problem in the coming weeks, sources told The Gleaner.

Despite the present problems, the government is still on track to import more than 100 buses, expected to boost the present fleet of buses allocated to the JUTC to 691. The buses are to be placed in the KMTR and would increase the number of seats available in the system to 53,000.

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