John Myers Jr., Staff Reporter
Commuters boarding Jamaica Urban Transit Company buses in Half-Way Tree, St. Andrew, recently. In the background are buses operated by the Ezroy Millwood-led National Transport Cooperative Society which is providing stiff competition for the Government-owned entity. - IAN ALLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
THE OPPOSITION Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is clamouring for Government to freeze the issuance of licences to private transport operators in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR) to minimise revenue losses by the beleaguered Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC).
According to Pearnel Charles, the Opposition spokesman on transport, this would prevent Government having to raise bus fares as competition from buses and taxis, both legal and illegal, was significantly eroding the revenues of the state-owned bus company.
BUS FRANCHISE ROUTES
Mr. Charles said the JUTC "cannot be viable as it is now competing with itself (because) the Government has given out contracts to these entities to run inside the bus franchise routes and then turn to us (the public) to be subsidising it with $3 million a day."
With the present arrangements, Mr. Charles said the bus company would still not make a profit even if it were granted a 400 per cent increase in fares.
"The Government must get its act together. You cannot run a bus system integrated with legal and illegal operations sanctioned by you in one instance, and cannot be prevented by you in another instance. They must make up their mind what they are doing," he said.
The Opposition spokesman said the request for a 100 per cent increase in fares for travel in Zone 1 and a 50 per cent increase in fares for travel in Zone 2 would pose a threat to the Public Sector Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Government and trade unions. As such, he said the "JLP is opposed to a bus fare increase at this time on the basis that the MoU is still in place and there is no proper plan presented to us as to how the Government intends to make a viable entity out of the present transport system."
SINGLE LARGEST OPERATOR
Outside of the JUTC, the Ezroy Millwood-led National Transport Cooperative Society (NTCS) is the single largest operator of public transportation service in the KMTR.
In the meantime, Egerton Newman, consultant with the National Association of Taxi Operators (NATO), said the cabbie group will be pressing the Government for a 50 per cent increase in taxi fares. He said the association will be meeting with Transport and Works Minister Robert Pickersgill sometime this week.
The NATO consultant agreed with Mr. Charles in supporting a freeze on licences for hackney-carriage taxis. Mr. Newman said there were too many of such cabbies operating in the KMTR, resulting in some operating contrary to their licences by running route taxis.
"We have asked the Transport Authority to stop issuing hackney carriage licences immediately because we have too many hackney carriages ... we are in full agreement with Pearnel Charles on the whole issue with the bus fare increase," Mr. Newman said. According to him, the Government should spend more time removing illegal operators rather than increasing bus fares.
