100 smart buses added to JUTC fleet

By Halshane Burke   

 

Transport Minister Daryl Vaz says commuters in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region should see a drop in wait times for Jamaica Urban Transit Company buses.

 

This comes after Monday's arrival of 100 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to be added to the fleet of the state owned bus company. 

 

Mr. Vaz said the addition of the buses would further improve the JUTC's management of the fleet. 

 

"With these hundred buses, we are going to get the waiting time down in the Corporate Area, the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region area, to 45 minutes," he announced, adding that he hopes with the next set of buses this wait time will be further reduced 20 minutes.

 

"The good thing is that these are just not a hundred buses. These are a hundred smart buses, and we are going to use every inch of technology that it gives to assist the commuters and assist JUTC in the management and the tracking of these buses. But these hundred buses will ease the pressure and as I like to call it, the misery index significantly," the minister asserted. 

 

The buses were acquired at a cost of US$20 million.

 

The Transport Minister said the process for the acquisition of another 200 buses has already started, with half of that number to be delivered next year. 

 

"I'm expecting with Minister Clarke's approval that we can finish the process and possibly pay a deposit to the winning vendor for another hundred buses before the end of this calendar year, which means that we would get the next hundred buses on the start of the next financial year - meaning the deposit paid on this side of the year, but the balance of payment wouldn't be paid obviously unless space available until the next financial year. But in managing the time, we can do similar to what we did and get the next hundred buses here within the same timeline, which means by next year June, July, if all goes according to plan, we will be here, right here, welcoming another hundred buses."  

 

Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke said the acquisition of the buses without the need for outside financing is a product of the government's handling of the economy.

 

Dr. Clarke said the macro economic environment is the best it has been in nearly fifty years.

 

According to the Finance Minister, the advancement in the economy will result in improvements in the delivery of service to the general public. 

 

"These buses have been acquired with the revenues that the government of Jamaica has and we did not need to turn to any other government, to any other source, to borrow the money to get the buses. Prior acquisition of buses have always come with financing. This is with Jamaica's money and it is testimony that macro improvements actually lead to improvements in public service delivery. We are pursuing macroeconomic stability in the people's interest, because it is through stability we are able to put the resources aside to acquire the assets that are required to improve your standard of living," he declared.