Transport Minister Outlines Significant Role of Toll Authority of Jamaica

Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Hon. Daryl Vaz, has emphasised that the Toll Authority of Jamaica does more than just enforce contracts.

“It serves the public interest. It ensures that toll operations are not just legally sound but ethically grounded, socially responsible, and results-driven,” the Minister said.

“Too often, the idea of value is talked about in abstract terms, but the Toll Authority makes it real in how roads are maintained, how concerns are addressed, and how users are treated every day,” Mr. Vaz contended.

His address was delivered by Toll Authority Board member, Patrick Rose, at a Public Forum hosted by the Authority on June 25 at the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites, in Kingston, under the theme ‘Advancing Toll Operations – Charting a Path for Better Customer Value’.

The Minister pointed out that as a Regulator, the Authority is a steward of public trust.

“Through its oversight, it holds concessionaires accountable for not just infrastructure delivery but service quality – from construction and maintenance to responsiveness and safety enforcement,” he added.

He commended the Authority for bringing together Government, industry and the public and creating a timely and meaningful space to reflect, listen and recommit to building safer, more customer-focused roads. Mr. Vaz said the forum presented an opportunity for serious dialogue, which would allow members of the public “to ask how Government and the Toll Authority can continue to deliver value, how we hold ourselves to higher standards, and how we meet the expectations of the Jamaican people”.

The Toll Authority hosted the public forum to create a space within which attendees would be able to hear from the concessionaires who are responsible for operating, maintaining and investing in toll roads. TransJamaican Highway Company Ltd, which is responsible for the PJ Patterson Highway, and Jamaica North South Highway Company Ltd, operators of the Edward Seaga Highway, both gave updates on their achievements as well as a preview of plans in the pipeline.

Other panellists were Executive Director of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), Paula Fletcher, and Toll Compliance Inspector at the Toll Authority, Michael Wilson. The forum was one of the activities staged by the Toll Authority for the inaugural observation of Toll Road Safety Week, which takes place from June 22 to 28 under the theme ‘Driving Forward, Safer Roads, Safer Communities’.

The commemoration follows a proclamation signed by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen on May 30, 2025.