The Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC), the state bus company, today met with a team of investigators from the Fraud Squad of the Organised Crime Investigation Division of the Jamaica Constabulary amid growing internal reports of the use of fraudulent tickets on its buses, particularly on Portmore routes.

 Case files with reports of four investigations were handed over to the Fraud Squad at the meeting. They involved cases of bogus tickets, re-used tickets, issuing concession tickets to adult commuters and larceny of company cash. In the meantime, the company said it would pursue internally other reports of irregularities which have been brought to the company’s attention by its Revenue Monitors.

In a statement this afternoon the company said it had an extensive meeting with the police during which several pieces of documents as well as video recordings from bus cameras were handed over and assurance of a speedy and thorough investigation was given by the police.

The company said it was again seeking passenger cooperation in ensuring that proper ticket issuing procedures are observed on JUTC buses at all times. It said, in particular, passengers were to be ready to present their tickets to JUTC Monitors, Transport Authority Inspectors or Police Officers during random checks on its services. It said it would also be fast tracking the rolling out of points of sale for SMARTERCARDS so passengers may make electronic payments.

The JUTC said it wished to assure taxpayers in general and its customers in particular that its systems are state of the art and geared towards ensuring revenue enhancement, employee integrity and protection of the assets in which the country has invested heavily. It said it wanted to reaffirm confidence in the integrity of the vast majority of its employees who work diligently each day to provide good service under difficult circumstances. Equally, it said, it would not allow the few to destroy the good reputation of many, damage the company’s prestige and cause financial ruin.