“Reality
is that the current fare levels are inadequate and have been for years. The
simple fact is that the JUTC cannot continue on this track and continue to
maintain the service level which it has maintained over the past 12 months.”
Minister of Transport
and Works, Dr Omar Davies commenting on the JUTC Fare hike on Wednesday, August
20th, 2014 of the JUTC Fare Increase come Sunday August 24th
2014
Looks
like I spoke too soon on this SmarterCard Cashless System from the JUTC!
News
has now reached me that’s not going to sit very well with persons who live in
Swallowfield, near to the National Stadium and who send their children to
school on the JUTC (Jamaica Urban Transit Company).
The
Ministry of Transport and Works has canceled their planned fare increase for JUTC
buses on Sunday August 24th 2014 as reported recently in “No JUTC Fare
Increases Come Sunday, Plans Put On Hold”, Published Friday August 22, 2014
2:06 pm, The Jamaica Gleaner and “Govt
puts hold on JUTC fare increase”, published Friday, August 22, 2014 2:06
PM, The Jamaica Observer.
The
JUTC will STILL be rolling out a Fare Concession to the Elderly and Children,
particularly High-Schoolers come September 2014. The Catch: you’ll have to get
a SmarterCard as reported in “No JUTC SMARTER
Cards, no concessionary rates for student and elderly come September”,
published Tuesday August 19, 2014 12:50 pm Karlene Brown, Assistant News
Editor, The Jamaica Gleaner.
This
I already knew, as I’d written about it at length in my blog article
entitled “JUTC
rolls out SmarterCard September 2014 - How JA$20 allows Unruly sex-crazed High
School Children and Elderly to Travel and reduce Theft”.
What
I didn’t know was that there would have also be a Fare increase come Sunday
August 24th 2014 as stated in the article “JUTC
fare increased to $120; senior citizens to pay $60, up from $20”, published
Wednesday, August 20, 2014 10:38 AM, The
Jamaica Observer. The New JUTC fares for persons without a SmarterCard are
as follows:
1.
JA$120 for Adults from JA$100, an
increase of 20%
2.
JA$30 for Children and disabled from
JA$20, an increase of 50%
3.
JA$60 for Senior Citizens from JA$20, an
increase of 200%
That’s
now been put on hold…..sort of….
President
of the Jamaica Civil Service Association, Oniel Grant, and Senior citizens had
met with official at the Ministry of Transport and Works and made it plain that
they basically would die if the fare was increased.
Many
Senior citizens depend on the JUTC to take them to the Post office to collect
pensions as well as to the KPH (Kingston Public Hospital) to collect free medication
that basically was keeping many of them alive as noted in the article “Un-Fare Hike
- Seniors Dread 200 Per Cent Increase To Ride JUTC Buses”, Published
Thursday August 21, 2014, by Sheldon Williams, Staff Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner.
JUTC Fare Increase –
SmarterCard Concession as Elderly spared but not Children and Adults
However,
the devil is in the details it seems. The Ministry of Transport and Works gave
further clarification by stating that the other Fare increases for Adults and
Children will be going ahead.
As
such, the Fare increase for the Elderly, specifically those over the age of 60 years,
would instead be adjusted to JA$40 for the Elderly, given their concerns, an
increase of only 100% instead of 200% as stated in the article “Transport
Ministry reduces senior citizens’ JUTC fare to $40”, published Friday,
August 22, 2014 4:26 PM, The Jamaica
Gleaner and “UPDATE: Gov't
Cuts Bus Fare For Elderly Only, New Structure On For Sunday”, published
Friday August 22, 2014 4:21 pm, The
Jamaica Gleaner.
So
in Summary, concession ONLY for SmarterCard carrying folks as clearly stated by
JUTC Communications Manager Clinton Clarke in the article “No
Concessionary Rate Without Smarter Cards”, Published Friday August 22,
2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.
Otherwise
everyone is getting a “fair” fare increase, with the Senior Citizens being the
only group to get a slight reprieve from the increase with an adjustment from
JA$60 to JSA$40. That’s still not good enough for JLP (Jamaica Labour Party)
Leader Andrew Holness as he’s STILL planning Protest action in Half-Way-Tree as
stated in “Peaceful
protest against JUTC bus fare increase still on –JLP”, published Friday,
August 22, 2014 6:35 PM, The Jamaica
Observer.
Nobody trusts Dr. Omar
Davies – JUTC not trying to save money on Operational Costs
It’s
not yet Sunday but the Senior Citizens are already upset with this announcement.
Especially
as the JUTC had already raised the fares when on Sunday November 10th
2013 the JUTC suspended Bus Transfers as stated in “Bus Fare to
Double for Many When JUTC Ends Transfers Sunday”, Published Thursday
November 7, 2013 by Arthur Hall, Senior News Editor, The Jamaica Gleaner.
For
one, the JUTC buses can be retrofitted to run on LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) as
far back as 2011 as stated in my blog article
entitled “JUTC,
Challenger and LNG - Journey to the Center of the Earth”. That alone JUTC
would see significant savings in the operation of the buses.
Not
to mention reduced wear and tear on the Engine as LPG burns cleanly within the
Buses Engine without the problems associated with liquid based fuels as
explained in my blog
article entitled “JUTC
SmarterCard Cashless System to be implemented in the Fourth Quarter of 2013 -
Upgrade Buses to use LPG Fuel to reduce Maintenance costs”.
Thus
the JUTC missing the SmarterCard System implementation deadline of March 2014
as stated in my blog
article entitled “Mandatory
SmarterCard Cashless System coming in March 2014 – JUTC Legal challenge NATO
over Routes as JA$100 Wi-Fi needed to keep Unruly High School Students Happy”,
made the JUTC look as if they’re not even trying to recover fares lost to
theft.
Not
to mention the inability for the PAMS (Port Authority Management Services
Limited) getting the “White Elephant” known as the Half-Way-Tree Transport
Center to actually make money by renting more locations to businesses as
explained in my blog
article entitled “PAMS
to debut GOJ branded Food Court in Half-Way-Tree Transport Center - Making
revenue from Unruly smartphone toting High School students via Cooked Food and
JA$100 a week Wi-Fi Internet”.
JUTC SmarterCard and
Fare Hike – Why I will not be taking the Yellow Bus to Half-Way-Tree
This
latest shock move means that my boycott of the JUTC buses and continuing to
walk will be ongoing. Especially as I’ll now be going to the MICO University
College to complete my Professional Diploma in Teaching which would qualify me
to not only to teach Mathematics but Physics and Chemistry and ultimately
Telecommunications and all its Secrets.
Then
again, I live within walking distance of the MICO University College; my main
grouse will be travel to anywhere further than Half Way Tree, as Swallowfield,
which is the community located near to the National Stadium on Arthur Wint
Drive.
Travel
beyond Half-Way-Tree will cost me JA$120 each way all because the GOJ refuses
to tackle the problem of JUTC Ticket Fraud as described in my blog article
entitled “How
to defraud the JUTC and reduce your Bus Fare - Arson and Ticket Fraud means
Switchover to the SmarterCard Cashless System before 2014 required”.
Instead
of going after the employees who are thieves, the PNP’s treading carefully.
That’s because the PNP (People’s National Party) is afraid to rock the boat
before a Local Government Election in 2015 and a General Election that’s
constitutionally due in 2016, being as JUTC employees represent the largest
block of guaranteed votes.
Worse,
the PNP might be using the JUTC to not only hold on to PNP Voters but also to
raise money to fund their upcoming Elections. Hence the coincidental increase,
as it’s easy to justify and no-one will complain, even though it’s illegal.
After all, why is the Minister of Transport and Works, Dr Omar Davies refusing
an independent Audit of the finances of the JUTC?
But
not this time!
To
this end, JLP (Jamaica Labour Party) Andrew Holness is STILL calling for a
Rally in Half-Way-Tree to protest the fare hike, as this issue appears to be
political. This reasoning may be what JLP Leader Andrew Holness suspects but
cannot speak outside of Gordon House, as he might attract defamation litigation
from the Minister of Transport and Works, Dr Omar Davies. But his rally will
make it clear that this may very well be the case.
This
is a rally I expect will be well attended, as the issue of Travel in the KMTR
(Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region) only seems to have worsened now that
the JUTC has retake the older routes from the “robot” taxis and buses as stated
in my blog
article entitled “Licensed
JUTC KMTR Franchise holders begin operation on April 8th 2014 - Attack of the
Stone Throwing Jamaicans against JUTC State sponsored Terrorism again JATOO”.
Something
tells me the rally on Sunday August 24th 2014 being staged by the
JLP (Jamaica Labour Party) will be a flashpoint for Jamaicans upset with the
rising cost of Living. Especially now that the Senior Citizens, many of whom
have very meager or no pensions, are not able to afford to travel on the JUTC
Bus anymore!
As
for me, I’m walking. I have no plans to pay extra money to fund a PNP desperate
to use the cover of “increasing expenditure” to scalp Jamaicans Commuters in
the KMTR Region just because they want to illegally raise campaign Funds.
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