Transforming Public Transport, Boosting Mining

The Ministry of Transport and Mining implemented several initiatives, geared towards transforming the public transport sector and improving operations in the bauxite mining industry.

TRANSPORT

16-Point Proposal
• Minister Robert Montague, outlined a 16-point proposal for public passenger vehicles aimed at transforming the Transport Sector.

• The Ministry embarked on a series of consultations on the proposals aimed at overhauling the public transportation system.

Public Transport Liberalisation Pilot
• The Transport Authority embarked on a Public Transport Liberalisation Pilot, which allowed prospective PPV operators/investors to apply for licences for approximately 1,260 new routes; 100 Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) sub-franchise routes; and contract carriages, hackney taxi road licences and hackney carriage services in St. James, St. Ann, Westmoreland, Trelawny, Manchester and the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region.

Ground Broken for Expansion of Ian Fleming Airport
• On March 29, Minister Montague broke ground for the expansion of the Ian Fleming International Airport (IFIA), in Boscobel, St. Mary. The Minister informed that the expansion would be done in phases and that the first would cost approximately $65 million.
Phase one of the project will include: widening of the runway; expansion of the terminal building; the creation of a turning circle and the removal of a mound at the west end of the runway.

MINING

New Mining Agreements to Protect Jobs, Increase Earnings

• The Government signed new mining agreements with New Day Aluminum (Jamaica) Limited, aimed at securing thousands of jobs, increasing earnings for Jamaica and protecting the Cockpit Country.
• The Government replaced the bauxite levy in favour of a profit-sharing scheme where both partners will benefit from any financial recovery in the performance of mining and refining operations.