$600M To Cushion Rising Fuel Prices For Taxi Operators

The Government of Jamaica will provide $25,000 in vouchers to operators of public passenger vehicles, including route taxi operators and contract carriage operators, to cushion the rising cost of fuel.

This programme will cost just under $600 million.

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, made the announcement as he closed the 2022/23 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (March 22).

“The voucher programme will begin towards the latter half of April and will be administered by the Transport Authority under the guidance of the Minister of Transport and Mining, Hon. Audley Shaw, who I am sure will speak more fulsomely on this,” Dr. Clarke said.

In addition, the Government will make available $200 million in revolving loan financing for public passenger vehicle operators, which will be available through Microcredit and Approved Financial Institutions, by way of the Development Bank of Jamaica.

“This financing will be available for short-term loans for tyres, batteries and spare parts required for public transportation operations. As we provide some relief, we appeal to public transportation operators to abide by the fares set by the regulatory authority,” the Finance and the Public Service Minister said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Clarke informed that the Government will increase the allocation towards transportation assistance for students on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) by 40 per cent.

This will cost an additional $152 million.

These initiatives are part of the Government’s overall social assistance support of $3.7 billion.