Jamaican government to cut JUTC bus fares by 30%
Key Points(5)
- Commuters in Jamaica who travel on the state-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) bus will pay less in the coming weeks following a reduction in bus fares announced by the government.
- In Parliament on Tuesday, Finance Minister Dr.
- Nigel Clarke announced a 30 percent reduction in the cost of bus fares.
- Clarke said the reduction is to take effect on January 1, 2024.
- <p style="text-align: left;">He said the measure is to migrate the impact of the increase in regulated PPV fares announced in October.
Commuters in Jamaica who travel on the state-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) bus will pay less in the coming weeks following a reduction in bus fares announced by the government.
In Parliament on Tuesday, Finance Minister Dr. Nigel Clarke announced a 30 percent reduction in the cost of bus fares.
Dr. Clarke said the reduction is to take effect on January 1, 2024.
He said the measure is to migrate the impact of the increase in regulated PPV fares announced in October. Taxi and bus operators were granted a 19% increase last month. They will be granted a further 16% increase in April 2024.
With the new reduction in JUTC fares, bus fares for adults will move from $100 to $70, fares for children from $30 to $25, and for pensioners from $40 to $30. Come April 1, 2024, adult fares will move down to $50, children to $20, and pensioners to $25. The fare adjustment will be in place for two years, Dr. Clarke said, adding that "after which, fares will need to be adjusted upwards."JUTC bus routes to expand
In recent months, the government has also added a new fleet of electric buses to JUTC's inventory, in hopes of eventually expanding the bus routes. The buses currently operate in and around the Kingston metropolitan area, but Transport Minister Daryl Vaz said that will soon change. The Minister recently made a commitment to commuters in May Pen, Clarendon; Linstead and Bog Walk, St Catherine; and Albion, St Thomas that they will soon have access to the buses. "With the coming into being of this world-class highway system across Jamaica, it is important that we do not place reliance on route taxis to provide mass transport of our citizens on highways, it is both counter-productive and risky. "The JUTC must put itself in a position to deliver on this public good, and I intend to see to that," said Vaz as he underscored his previously stated commitment to improving the public transportation system for students in rural Jamaica. According to Vaz, the JUTC will be used as part of his plan to implement a safe, secure, and efficient transport system for rural students.
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