File photo
By Kimone Witter
The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) has been granted approval for the use of the emergency procurement process to rehabilitate buses to be dispatched to hill routes in rural St. Andrew.
These are buses within the company's fleet that were specially ordered to operate in the hilly areas and are out of service while awaiting spare parts.
Transport Minister Daryl Vaz says the measure is intended to be a short-term solution to ease the long wait times by commuters, particularly during peak hours.
Minister Vaz, who travelled on a number 53 bus and interacted with the passengers on Monday, said while the JUTC can redirect buses to alleviate lengthy wait times, this is not an option for the hill routes, as the regular buses are not suited for those areas.
He sought to assure the passengers that efforts are far advanced on a long-term solution, which is the acquisition of the first 100 of a projected 300 buses between June and September.
But, Mr. Vaz said while his ideal timeline is June, it could be pushed back to September based on procurement requirements.
The temporary emergency measure is expected to remain in place until December 2025.
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