The Transport Authority was established in 1987 as a statutory body by the Jamaican Government for regulating and monitoring the public transportation system in the island. The portfolio of the Authority was transferred from the Ministry of Construction to the Ministry of Public Utilities and Transport at that time. The Authority now operates under the Ministry of Transport and Mining. Under the Transport Act of 1987, the Transport Authority acquired the functions formerly performed by:
-The Licensing Authority
-The Public Passenger Transport (Corporate Area) Board of Control, and
-The Public Passenger Transport (Rural Area) Board of Control