• Photo

The state-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) fleet has been boosted with the arrival of 63 new compressed natural gas (CNG) buses.

Portfolio minister Daryl Vaz said another 30 coach diesel buses for excursions/charters will arrive on July 9, and another seven CNG buses for [persons with disabilities] will arrive in August.

Vaz said the new CNG buses will operate out of the Spanish Town depot, where a new CNG fuelling facility is now under construction and expected to be completed by the last week of August.

“Those buses that are now at Spanish Town will be redeployed in some instances to improve the existing service and to continue to expand the routes. So, this is a game-changer for public transport in Jamaica,” he said.

The JUTC is mandated to provide 25,000 to 31,000 seats per day to meet the demands of the commuting public within the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region. Vaz said that the new buses will positively contribute to service delivery, as they will reduce wait times on critical routes.

Each bus has a full capacity of up to 80 passengers distributed between seated and standing. Vaz said the buses will do an average of six trips per day each, transporting at maximum capacity a total of 480 passengers per bus per day.

“That is going to improve existing routes, expand routes, and, most importantly, bring the wait time for passengers down,” Vaz said.