The Parliamentary Opposition is raising concerns ahead of the deployment by Government of new electric buses.
The first 35-seater bus which arrived in the island last year was launched during a ceremony at the Office of the Prime Minister last month.
At that launch it was revealed that, after the completion of the licensing and insurance processes, as well as staff training and sensitization, the Jamaica Urban Transit Company would be embarking on a pilot project to test the unit, in anticipation of the arrival of another five such electric buses.
However as the public eagerly awaits the addition of the buses to the state run bus service's fleet, Opposition Spokesman on Transport Mikael Phillips is seeking answers about the way forward.
Mr Phillips says he's unsure the JUTC is ready for the road with the new buses and questions whether adequate provisions are in place to deal with servicing of the buses and related issues.
Addressing the recent launch of the first electric bus, Prime Minister Andrew Holness asserted that the Government was serious about its environmental commitments, as well as its climate change obligations.
The Prime Minister stressed that government is committed to its fiscal arrangements to ensuring that the JUTC does not become a fiscal risk or threat to the government.
The company plans to increase its fleet of buses by 50 in the new fiscal year.
The JUTC's management said the fleet increase should boost passenger numbers in the next fiscal year by 72 per cent to 31 million, at an average of 85,000 passengers per day.
The projections are contained in the recently tabled Jamaica Public Bodies Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for Year ending March 2024.
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