Above are the major policy changes to the national public transport policy for the KMTR since 1980.THE JAMAICA Urban Transit Company (JUTC), which started on a phased basis in 1999, was established at a cost of more than $4 billion.
It was set up to replace the ramshackle bus service Jamaicans had become accustomed to since the early 1980s when the state-run Jamaica Omnibus Service (JOS) went bust.
At the time it was formed, the JUTC had as its primary objective, the provision of a safe, reliable, efficient and cost-effective transport system for the commuting public.
It began taking back the five franchises that were established in 1995 to cover the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR). This process began with the eastern region which was under the domain of Metro Transport. This was followed by the take-over of the Spanish Town and Papine regions operated by Conurban Transport in April 2000.
In March 2001, the National Transport Co-operative Society (NTCS) gave up its franchises for the Northern and Portmore regions.
By June 2001, the JUTC fleet consisted of 590 buses with a staff of roughly 3,500. The staff is now closer to 3,300 and more than 100 buses are said to out of service for repairs at any one time. Many are irreparable and the lack of spare parts has forced the management to scrap some buses to keep others on the road. The body repair bill alone is in the region of $5 million per month. More than 50 news buses have been purchased and should join the fleet soon.
