Slow roll out of JUTC buses, several drivers out sick
Published:Wednesday | September 25, 2019 | 12:20 PM
Transport Minister Robert Montague is reporting that 122 Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses have been rolled out so far today as some drivers remain off duty.
Montague says 32 buses were deployed from Rockfort in Kingston, 56 buses from the Portmore depot and 34 in Spanish Town, both in St Catherine.
This is less than the usual daily roll out of around 400 buses.
Montague disclosed that a number of drivers called in sick this morning.
He outlined that 38 drivers from Rockfort, 27 from Portmore and 41 from Spanish Town reported that they could not turn up for work because they were not well.
Some JUTC drivers have been off the job since yesterday following the shooting death of one of their colleagues on Monday night along Oxford Road in St Andrew.
That attack came hours after the stabbing death of a taxi driver by a man employed by the JUTC along Washington Boulevard, St Andrew.
Out of concern for their safety, the drivers withdrew their services.
“We wish to thank the drivers who are out working and assure them of our commitment to their safety and welfare,” the transport minister said in a statement this afternoon.
“To the security forces, we thank you again for your service to the nation. To the bus and taxi drivers who have been moving persons and giving coverage, we salute you,” he added.
“We will continue to work with the Transport Authority and the various organisations to identify those rouge operators. To the commuting public, we thank you for continued patience and understanding. We are doing all that is possible to return to normalcy,” Montague continued.
Montague is urging the commuting public to continue to be calm and responsible.
“We thank and commend those private persons, who became their brothers and sisters keepers and offered persons a lift. This shows that in a crisis the best of Jamaica comes forth.”
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