Vessel Carrying New JUTC Buses Will Arrive Soon

The 50 new buses to be added to the fleet of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) are to arrive shortly.

Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Hon. Daryl Vaz, updated a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House on July 5 on the vessel carrying the vehicles.

“Before I came here this morning, I got the name of the vessel and tracked it for myself, and I can indicate that [it] is now entering the Panama Canal. Once it passes through there, it will take about two days to get to Jamaica.

So, I expect it here between Friday (July 7) and Monday (July 10),” the Minister said.

He indicated that although the 50 buses will boost the fleet of the JUTC, it will not be enough to entirely fill the shortfall.

At present, the entity rolls out 164 buses daily against a requirement of between 350 and 400 buses for optimum functionality.

“We have made some plans for rehabilitation with a big spend on spare parts totalling a little under US$400,000… to try and get our fleet up to 310 buses for back-to-school in September,” the Minister informed.

The new buses will boost the fleet of the JUTC as the company prepares for the new school year, which begins in September. The units include 45 diesel and five electric.