Hold On to Your Bus Tickets, JUTC Urges Commuters

In a bid to reduce pilferage on Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses, Assistant Vice President of Operations, Robert Harpaul, is urging commuters to inspect their tickets, to ensure that they accurately reflect the amount paid, and to hold on to them while travelling on the buses.
Mr. Harpaul made the statement at a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’ session. He explained that the JUTC suffers greatly from “leakage in the fare boxes”, which could be significantly reduced if tickets are inspected.
“If you are travelling on a JUTC bus and you are found without a ticket, there is a penalty of $25,000 or jail term that is applicable to the passenger,” he warned. Bus crews are also liable under the regulations.
Mr. Harpaul admitted, however, that the onus to ensure transparency of operations on the buses does not rest entirely with the passengers and crews: A crucial role is being played by JUTC Revenue Monitors.
These individuals, he pointed out, “ride the buses and help in monitoring and ensuring that passengers have their tickets.”
“These people are employed by us, and their primary function is to ensure that our employees adhere to the guidelines,” he added.
Also present at the ‘Think Tank’ session was the Marketing and Sales Manager of the JUTC, Lenworth Simms, who stated that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the Transport Authority and the JUTC, will be embarking on a six-week public education campaign to remind commuters to request and demand their tickets.
“It won’t be new. It is something we have done in the past. We want to focus on sensitising the public about their responsibility, or rights, as far as the ticketing on the buses is concerned,” he said.
The JUTC was established in 1998 under the Public Passenger Transport Act, to operate public passenger transport in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR).