The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Jitney drivers are proposing that fares for adults should go up to $2, but are awaiting the go-ahead from the government.

Harrison Moxey, the United Public Transportation Company’s (UPTC) president, told Tribune Business that in their proposal to the government they want bus fares for adults to go up to $2 from the now $1.25, but senior citizens and school children would remain the same.

He said: “There are a few different scenarios out there, but we believe we can get $2 for the adults across the board and we will be satisfied to leave everybody else, the school students and the senior citizens.

“It has been over 15 years since we had an increase. We’ve seen the taxi drivers have already gotten theirs, but we haven’t gotten ours yet. But we’re hopeful.”

JoBeth Coleby-Davis, minister for housing and transport, told reporters that they plan to go on an extensive town hall meeting programme to advise the general public on the new rates. “We’ve been speaking to cabinet about that and we’re going to have some town hall meetings with the public to discuss and consider the potential of having some bus fare increases, but also some transformation in the industry and we are still seeking some form of unitisation so that we can get a better busing system in the country. And for the next half of this year, we will be focusing a lot on how we do some transformation with that industry.”

Mr Moxey said he was not aware of the proposed series of town hall meetings, but noted that the proposals sent in by the UPTC may have sparked Ms Coleby-Davis’s action towards making the public aware of the possibility of bus fare increases.

Ms Coleby-Davis also said that the bus unification programme is still very much alive and the transformation of the sector is still foremost on her agenda.

Mr Moxey added that while there were some “unfortunate and unforeseen things” that have stalled the bus unification project, he doesn’t want to say any more until he is sure they can deliver on the targets set for the programme.