THE GOVERNMENT has acquired 30 more buses from Germany at a cost of $6.8 million (140,00 Euros) to increase the existing fleet of Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses in Kingston and St. James
Robert Pickersgill, Minister of Transport and Works, who handed over the buses to the JUTC at the offices of the Volvo Bus Dealer on Ellesmere Road in Kingston, said the "acquisition of these buses represents another significant step on the line of the Government's commitment to the establishment of a world class public passenger transport service for commuters".
Minister Pickersgill said that four of the buses would be used to transport the disabled and senior citizens. "In ordering these buses we were very careful about the specifications and have adhered to the Government's policies and practices in ensuring that the needs of the physically challenged are fully taken care of," he added.
The four buses, he said, have been specifically configured to accommodate the disabled and are equipped for wheel chairs and special seating arrangements.
"Let me remind the public that while the Government continues its work to provide and streamline a top class transportation system and passenger service worthy of our people, this is at substantial cost to all of us. It is incumbent on all of us therefore, as members of the society, to play our part in protecting these assets," he urged.
In accepting the buses on behalf of the JUTC, Major Desmond Brown, General Manager of the Metropolitan Management Transport Holdings said, "we are very pleased that the buses are here and we trust that when they are handed over to JUTC, they will be operated well, and most of all, the public will be satisfied with the service provided".
Meanwhile, members of the disabled community thanked the Government for providing additional buses to transport them. Valerie Spence, Administrative Programmes Officer at the Jamaica Council For Persons With Disabilities, told JIS News that her organisation welcomed the allocation of four new buses for disabled commuters. "It is an improvement and not only will disabled persons in Kingston benefit but those in the rural areas will also appreciate a better
service".
