Gas price increases impacting public transportation, says Phillips

Opposition Spokesman on Transport Mikael Phillips says public transport could be heading into a state of crisis and uncertainty due to the continuing weekly increases in the prices of fuel.

In a statement, Phillips says some transport operators are having serious difficulty coping with fuel prices.

According to him, fuel prices are now at the highest level the country has ever experienced.

READ: Increase in gas prices driven by external forces - Petrojam

“Many are having difficulty while others have resorted to illegal fare increases, burdening commuters, who are also unable to meet any hike in public transport fares,” he said.

The opposition spokesman says according to reports reaching him, some operators have increased their fares by as much as 100%, as a means of surviving higher fuel rates.

He says the Ministry of Transport and the Transport Authority must look into the issue and act. 

" [ I am] calling for  Minister of Transport Robert Montague to immediately convene a meeting with public transport sector representatives to work out mechanisms for the survival of the operators and implement strategies for the protection of commuters.

" ...The portfolio minister needs to bring creativity to bear on this challenging dilemma, as both commuters and operators need to work with each other to save the sector".

Phillips says the opposition does not support a fare increase at this time, with parents facing the expensive back to school period.

Meanwhile, the opposition transport spokesman says he is also concerned about the situation at the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) as fuel prices are now above the levels on which its budget is predicated.

He says it is his information that the company is having serious difficulty in meeting its weekly bill and could default.  

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