By Claude Mills, Staff Reporter 
Commuters wait at the empty bus lanes in the terminus at South Parade in downtown Kingston, yesterday. - Norman Grindley/Staff Photographer.
MOST COMMUTERS using the Jamaica Urban Transit Co. (JUTC) buses reacted with relative calm as the new fare increases took effect, yesterday.
However, it was not just the JUTC fares which had gone up. The operators of robot taxis which many persons use instead of the JUTC buses, also hiked their fares yesterday.
Some commuters grumbled at the fare increases yesterday, but others greeted the JUTC fare hike with an air of inevitability.
"I knew that it would happen sooner or later. I am a little worried right now because the increase means that I have less money to spend 'cause my salary hasn't increased. Plus, I have two kids who I will have to send to school in two weeks time, so it will cost a little more to do the same things on a fixed salary," Rosalee Baker, a nurse who works at the Kingston Public Hospital said.
Last Thursday, Robert Pickersgill, Minister of Transport and Works, announced that the fare increases would have taken effect yesterday.
The new fare hike saw adults travelling in Zone 1 the Corporate Area of Kingston and St. Andrew paying $30, while those commuting in Zone 2, which covers the municipality of Portmore and communities in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, had to fork out $40.
The concessionary fare for children, students in uniform, senior citizens and the disabled is now $15.
"Some of we caan find the money even though the $10 fare increase look small, that $10 coulda use and do something else. And why the Government decide fi raise the bus fare right in the middle of the back-to-the-school shopping? Mi just spend $4,000 on books fi mi daughter, and now, mi have to deal with this," one female commuter said.
Others were more tolerant of the increase saying 'it could have been worse', but raised concerns about the quality and regularity of the bus service.
"Look how the bus park scanty, why dem raise the fare and we caan get no bus sometimes? I don't like taking the robots, they are dangerous, but sometimes I have no choice. I have been waiting here as much as 20 minutes, and still no bus," an elderly man standing at the Church Street bus stop, said.
Checks on routes such as Kingston to Rollington Town, Kingston to Vineyard Town, and Kingston to August Town revealed that 'robot taxis' had also increased their fares by $10.
"Anno nothing, we deserve a fare increase, too," one taxi-operator said brazenly.
Checks with JUTC conductors and drivers on some of the routes downtown mirrored the matter-of-fact reaction of most commuters.
"They are calm now, but I'm not so sure what will happen on Monday, that is where we could have some trouble," one driver said, ominously. "But mek we wait and see nuh."
As a result of the increases, the JUTC is expected to realise an additional $544 million in revenue in addition to the Government's subsidy of $1.487 billion. The new fares will cover $2.4 billion of the amount but there will still be a shortfall of $200 million in the company's operating expenses.
