THE EDITOR, Sir:
IF THE JUTC raises its fares by the 90 per cent as recommended by the Swedish consultants, then there will be fewer passengers on the buses. Individuals may opt to walk to their destinations, some may choose to bum rides and some may choose to simply not travel.
It is unfair to ask passengers to fork out additional money to pay fares which, under the current proposal, would end up being the bus fare they would have reserved for the return trip from work. The JUTC ought not to have been put back in government hands in the first place. The fact of the matter is that there are too many overhead and incidental costs involved when one single entity takes on the responsibility of running a major portion of the public transport bus system.
Unless a government can afford to absorb the losses that accrue as a result of this, then such a company should be in private hands. Each privately owned bus company would deal with the number of buses it could adequately manage on any given route. Thus, the larger private companies would operate in the routes that require a larger amount of buses and the smaller companies would manage the routes than require a smaller number of buses.
JUTC must put this industry back in private sector hands and under government regulation if the industry is to prosper instead of remaining a liability.
I am etc.,
PATRICK A. GALLIMORE
pagalley@hotmail.com
Kingston
Via Go-Jamaica
