Transport Authority Takes Community Outreach and Commuter Engagement to St. Thomas

The parish of St. Thomas was given the spotlight by the Transport Authority of Jamaica, as the entity took its community outreach initiative and inspector-commuter engagement to commuters and residents.

On Friday (September 25), the day began with a session at the Dalvey Primary and Infant School where the communications team and Inspectors at the Transport Authority of Jamaica provided breakfast for 75 students at the Infant department.

The team then interacted with students at the Primary School, informing them about public passenger vehicle safety and gifting them with promotional items.

Following this, the team journeyed to Morant Bay for an inspector-commuter engagement where commuters were given important information while receiving the opportunity to participate in games and challenges and interact with route inspectors and supervisors.

Corporate Communications Manager at the Transport Authority, Merdina Callum, told JIS News that the outreach represents an expansion of the Authority’s corporate social responsibility activities beyond the Kingston Metropolitan Region.

“We have a back-to-school programme, and we thought that we should come to St. Thomas because we haven’t been doing much in terms of corporate social responsibility in St. Thomas,” Ms. Callum said.

“We teach the children because we have to teach them from they are young. We teach them about the fare so that they are not overcharged. There are a number of things, other safety tips that we give them during the year because it’s not just when it’s back to school. It’s an ongoing process,” she added.

Among the topics covered are how to identify licensed public passenger vehicles, how to identify authorised drivers, road-crossing safety and the correct fares that commuters should pay.

The outreach also involved stakeholders such as the St. Thomas Taxi Association, who assisted in identifying Dalvey Primary and Infant School as the beneficiary.

Ms. Callum said the involvement of transport operators is important, as it demonstrates that the Authority’s relationship with the sector extends beyond regulation and enforcement.

“It’s very important, because then they get to see that we’re not only wanting them to be on the road or collecting their fees but we are involved in the community in which they work because that can also impact on their businesses,” she said.

The inspector-commuter engagement activity at the Hope Road Transportation Centre in Morant Bay focused on informing commuters of their rights and responsibilities, including where they can seek assistance or redress if they are improperly treated by a public passenger operator or a Transport Authority of Jamaica employee.

Ms. Callum said the Authority wants commuters to understand that they have avenues through which complaints can be addressed.

“So, we are telling them what they are to expect as commuters, who and where they can call if anything should happen,” she said.

For the Corporate Communications Manager, a major objective of the initiative was to help change public perceptions of the Transport Authority of Jamaica and demonstrate its role in protecting commuters.

She acknowledged that some members of the public become apprehensive, when they see route inspectors, but said enforcement activities are intended to protect commuters.

“That is what we want them to know – that it’s not that we’re there to take away your [vehicle]. Some persons, when they see [the Transport Authority inspectors] they are upset, but we want them to know that what we are doing is we are protecting them. We are ensuring that the ride that you’re taking is properly licensed and insured so that if anything happens to you, you are protected,” she said.

She encouraged commuters who believe they have been overcharged to report the matter to the Authority, providing the vehicle’s licence plate number or, if unavailable, details of the route on which the incident occurred.

Meanwhile, Principal of the Dalvey Primary and Infant School, Vivienne Douglas-Lee, hailed the outreach by the Authority, deeming it a necessary intervention to keep even the youngest commuter safe and informed.

“It was well received not by only the children but the staff here at Dalvey Primary and Infant. The children learned about which taxi to take and which one not to take. I’m hoping that after this, the teachers will continue to emphasise all of these things so the children can go home and now say to Mommy, ‘don’t take that taxi because it is not a red-plate taxi’,” the Principal said.