AGAINST THE background of recent reports that minors were having sex on public passenger vehicles, the Transport Authority is undertaking a review of the licences of owners of buses which operate on the Waterhouse to Cross Roads and Waterhouse to downtown Kingston routes.
According to Joan Fletcher, managing director of the Transport Authority, a decision is to be made about the buses on these routes as there have been many complaints about sexual activities and lewd behaviour involving school children and bus crews.
She also said the Transport Authority, the Island Traffic Authority and the police, have, over the last four weeks, taken joint action to deal with the problem of "sexual activities on buses and lewd and illegal activities in the public passenger transport system".
ARREST WARRANTS
This has led to the execution of arrest warrants, issuing of summonses and traffic tickets, the removal of tinting from bus windows and windshields and the removal of speaker boxes and amplifiers. Mrs. Fletcher pointed out that in an effort to reduce factors that make it easier for sexual activities to take place on buses, the tinting on windows and windshields were removed from 46 buses while speaker boxes and amplifiers were removed from 11.
The managing director said that during the period, the police executed 19 arrest warrants for persons who had ignored summonses to appear in court for various breaches, and issued 88 tickets for traffic offences.
The Transport Authority also issued 56 summonses for breaches of the Transport Authority Act and held a formal hearing with operators of vehicles from which equipment was removed. Bus operators have been served with letters warning of the possible revocation of their licences if the breaches were repeated.
Other measures implemented by the Transport Authority include the closer monitoring of buses through the placement of 'undercover' persons on these vehicles as well as a programme in the schools to sensitise and reinforce positive behaviour among the children.
"We have gone into several schools and had discussions with the principals, teachers and students. On some of these occasions we have been accompanied by family planning and public health inspectors to deal with the social and health implications of early and irresponsible sexual activity and promiscuity."
Mrs. Fletcher revealed that the Transport Authority Act was being amended to make penalties for breaches harsher and to remove any loopholes that may exist.
