New CNG Fuel Plant for JUTC Spanish Town Depot

The Government is establishing a second compressed natural gas (CNG) fuelling facility to service the 70 new CNG buses being added to the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) fleet.

The disclosure was made by Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Hon. Daryl Vaz, during a press conference held at the Ministry’s offices in Kingston on Tuesday (March 18).

Mr. Vaz said the 70 buses, including 30 coach buses for the charter service, are expected to arrive on the island in June or July, ahead of the new school year.

He said the addition of the second facility follows the recent increase in the number of CNG fuelling pumps at the Portmore depot from one to three, effectively enhancing the JUTC’s refuelling capacity by 300 per cent.

The Portmore facility serves approximately 125 buses, which were procured over the last 18 months.

Minister Vaz said that the new CNG plant to be established at the Spanish Town depot is far advanced.

“We are hoping that we will have that up and running between August and September,” he said.

The Government’s investment in CNG buses is expected to further improve operational efficiencies at the JUTC, while leading to significant savings.

Last year, Minister Vaz indicated that the cost to fill one of the new CNG buses with fuel was a third of the amount for a diesel unit.