Three maintenance vehicles were handed over to the JUTC on Tuesday, October 21, 2014 on the grounds of the Ministry of Transport, Works & Housing. Transport, Works & Housing Minister Hon Omar Davies handed over the keys to the vehicles.

In providing a background to the acquisition of the vehicles, JUTC’s Managing Director Colin Campbell explained that the units will come in handy as in the past, when JUTC buses broke down on the road, they would send one of the regular buses to facilitate the repairs, a situation which he said was inefficient as such a bus would be taken from doing regular duties when it could be taking passengers on designated routes. He said that the buses will serve the Portmore, Rockfort and Spanish Town Depots. He asserted that the units will not be abused as they will be kept on a strict regime to maximise efficiency.

Also speaking at the ceremony, JUTC Chairman Garnett Roper said the provision of the units was part of a wider plan to make the JUTC viable and to enhance the efficiency of the public transport system. This he says will go a far way in optimizing revenue and reducing cost.

For his part, Minister Omar Davis said that he was concerned about the number of breakdowns that occurred among JUTC buses, pointing out that that would only be a deterrent to efficiency and productivity. It was in that light that he said that he was very happy to be handing over the maintenance units to the JUTC to assist with repairs of regular buses. He congratulated the company on the strides made in the improvements made but cautioned that there were still quite a number of things to be done to get the company on the required path. He said that it is in the company’s interest at all times to keep the public informed as to what is happening and what is involved in operating it, especially in light of the fare increases that were recently granted.