Restructuring Underway for Rural Public Transportation

The public transportation system in four rural towns is to see immediate restructuring with colour coding to be effected for public passenger vehicles, and parishes assigned coloured licensed plates.
According to Minister of Transport and Works, Michael Henry, the towns of Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, May Pen and Santa Cruz offers a different perspective of the social structure of the country and that, “I hope to see one day, and committed to bring about, is a disciplined approach to public transportation where people are able to travel with dignity”.
Mr. Henry was addressing the recent sitting of the St. Elizabeth Parish Council, where he said that poor operation of transportation has a negative impact on economic activities, and as such he is spearheading an integrated approach in people moving about effectively, via public transportation.
“A young person should be able to take the train at a point with his bicycle, travel to Kingston and ride around the city if he wishes. If he wants to go to the airport, a train or taxi should take him there with ease. Each transport centre will have a bus to the airport, and as we rehabilitate the railway, each main station will be the driving transportation centre where commercialization will flow,” he stated.
Minister Henry told the monthly meeting of the Parish Council that his Ministry has included a careful plan into the improvement of the urban and rural transport structure, and that travel by rail, sea, road, and air will see considerable expansion and improvement.
“What I am speaking to is all taxis being equipped with tracking devices, to protect the safety of both drivers and passengers. These are hurdles to climb in a somewhat indiscipline structure, but unless we begin to make the real attempt to bring these things to the fore, we will not improve the quality of service,” Minister Henry warned.