11 KMTR Routes Converted from Hackney Carriage to Route Taxi

Eleven taxi routes within the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR) have been approved for conversion from hackney carriage to route taxi licences.

Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Minister, Hon. Daryl Vaz, said the decision was taken following an appeal by transport operators to the Public Transport Operators Steering Committee (PTOSC).

The routes are held exclusively for the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC).

“The Steering Committee considered the request. It was supported by the Transport Authority (TA) and the JUTC has provided its non-objection… . We do not want to hold these routes and not be able to service them. It is better to release them so that other persons can benefit and spread the service wider,” Minister Vaz said.

He was addressing a press conference on Tuesday (March 4) at the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre in Kingston.

The approved routes are downtown via East Queen Street to Norman Gardens; downtown via East Queen Street to Rennock Lodge; downtown via South Camp Road to Cross Roads; downtown via South Camp Road to Vineyard Town; downtown via East Queen Street to Rollington Town; downtown via East Queen Street to Franklin Town; Half-Way Tree via Hagley Park Road to Three Miles; Half-Way Tree Road via Hope Road to Papine; Half-Way Tree Road via Red Hills Road to Chancery Street; Half-Way Tree via Washington Boulevard to Duhaney Park; Half-Way Tree via Mountain View to Windward Road.

Minister Vaz noted that an additional 12 routes have been ratified for similar conversion by the TA through its Steering Committee, pending approval by the JUTC.

“While [the JUTC] expands to serve other new routes, we are releasing some of those routes because we want to level the playing field and still give public transport vehicle (PPV) operators an opportunity to earn and be profitable,” Minister Vaz noted.