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Lerone Laing, CEO of the Toll Authority of Jamaica
The Toll Authority says the two operators of Highway 2000 are not in a position to delay the increase in toll rates which is slated to take effect on Saturday.
The National Consumers League wants the toll adjustment put on hold for two years while the parliamentary opposition has called for a delay for several months as the country is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost of living has been increasing.
However, Toll Authority of Jamaica CEO Lerone Laing told Radio Jamaica News that several factors including the exchange rate and consumer price index were considered before the toll increase application was submitted.
Insisting the operators of the highway were neither insensitive nor uncooperative, Mr. Laing noted that they had delayed the increase which was granted in 2020 - one of the operators by six months and the other by a year.
According to the Toll Authority CEO, they were not compensated for the losses from that delayed increase.
But on this occasion, he said the operators indicated that their maintenance and operational costs have to be increased and they "cannot absorb the cost at this particular time".
A notice published on Friday by the Minister of Transport said an application has been received for toll increases for the east west leg of Highway 2000 come July 2.
The adjustments range from nine per cent to 26 per cent.
Members of the public have a five-day window, which ends Tuesday, to submit feedback on the proposed increases.
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