JUTC loses $1.2 million in potential fares during teachers protest
Published:Thursday | March 15, 2018 | 12:00 AM
Paul Clarke, Gleaner Writer
The cash-strapped Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) is reporting that it lost approximately $1.2 million in potential revenues from fares in the three days students and teachers stayed home during an islandwide protest by educators.
Corporate Communications Manager at the JUTC Cecil Thoms told The Gleaner that the company experienced a decline of 40,000 student riders from Monday to Wednesday.
"Over the course of the three days, we experienced a decline in student ridership of 40,000, who are part of our concession riders and who do not pay the full fare," said Thoms.
Student ridership, he noted, varies from day to day, but generally the JUTC transports 60,000 students per day across the Kingston and St Andrew Metropolitan region.
Thoms noted that many of passengers including teachers work in the public service.
"Our system is not configured to give an actual break down as it relates to the number of teachers who did not use our service. However, it would be fair to say there was some amount of impact; we simply can't quantify it,” Thoms noted.
Much of the nation’s teachers returned to work Thursday after staging a three-day protest against the Government’s 16 per cent wage offer over four years.
The teachers are to resume negotiations tomorrow.
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