Photo via JUTC's Facebook page
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Cleon Porter, Project Manager at the Foundation for the Disabled
By Kimone Witter
An advocacy group for people with special needs is to file a complaint with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) over the limited number of Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses available to serve the community.
Cleon Porter, Project Manager at the Foundation for the Disabled, has expressed disappointment that only five of the fifty new buses are special needs units, increasing the number in the fleet to ten.
Mr. Porter said he had been assured via email correspondence from the public relations team at the JUTC that all 50 new buses which recently arrived on the island would be equipped to facilitate persons with disabilities.
"I came on TV and I did applaud the government for doing that. Now, I'm taking back that [applause] because I am so disappointed to know that I have told my people that all buses will be disabled-friendly and now it's only five. That is cruelty. That is not bringing in this spirit of inclusion," he bemoaned.
Mr. Porter said he was putting the government and Minister of Transport on notice that he will be reporting the matter to the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), which is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Disabilities Act.
Cabinet in May gave approval to the Emile Leiba chaired six-member Disabilities Rights Tribunal.
The appointments will last from April 24 this year to April 23, 2025.
Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) Managing Director Paul Abrahams has acknowledged that the special needs service offered by the bus company is floundering as there is a shortage of buses that provide the service.
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