THE EDITOR, Sir:
On average I take Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses six days per week and I have observed a few inefficient practices in its operations. Let's take for example when I am going to school that is to the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona campus.
At least four out of five times, I wait for the route bus #72 for more than a hour. Usually, immediately after it arrives, another bus of the same route follows, when this bus could have filled the one hour waiting period.
unreasonable
The August Town / Hermitage area has two main universities, the University of Technology (UTech) and UWI Mona campus which thousands students attend. In addition, most of Jamaica's public passengers are from the working class with a majority being low-income earners.
A proposal to increase bus fare by more than 50 per cent is unreasonable and shows very little thought of the financial status of the persons who use the public transportation system.
cost-saving strategies
The Ministry of Transport and Works along with the board of the JUTC should develop and implement cost-saving strategies and they should consider the low-income earners, the elderly, the unemployed and the inflation rate which results in the rising cost of living.
How many Jamaicans who take public transportation, for at least three times a day, six days per week, will be able to afford an increase of more than 50 per cent in the cost of transportation, considering that most of these passengers have not had a significant increase in their income of even 25 per cent?
I am, etc.,
KERRY-ANN WILLIAMS
Kingston 5
