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Transport Minister Audley Shaw
By Clinton McGregor
Transport Minister Audley Shaw says 70 new buses are to be added to the aging fleet at the state-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) in the coming months.
Commuters have been complaining about the inadequate number of JUTC buses, resulting in long wait times at bus stops.
Minister Shaw admitted that while the JUTC has 220 buses in its fleet, only 163 are rolled out on a daily basis.
He said the government is committed to boosting the fleet of the JUTC and to modernising its operations using a mix of energy sources to power the vehicles, including electricity and natural gas.
"There are 50 buses – 45 diesel and five electric – which are on the high seas right now. They left China on the 2nd of May…and should be here at the end of this month. Additionally, 20 compressed natural gas fuel units will be added to the fleet under a joint arrangement with private sector partners. These units are expected late August to September. That will make 70 additional new buses," he declared.
Mr. Shaw said the government is hoping to have 500 buses in the JUTC fleet by 2025.
Additionally, he said more mechanics are being trained for deployment to JUTC depots in Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Catherine.
Combatting pilferage
At the same time, the Transport Minister said the JUTC is to implement new measures to combat the theft of millions of dollars of fuel from its buses.
While he did not disclose the measures "due to the sensitivity and security issues", Mr. Shaw said the ministry is at an advanced stage of "using technology-based solutions to assist us in detecting, locating and tracking our fuel".
The JUTC was projected to suffer $8 billion in losses due to pilferage last fiscal year.