Minibus operators in Buff Bay protest over road licence
Published:Monday | March 14, 2022 | 11:51 AM
Minibus operators in Buff Bay, Portland this morning staged a peaceful protest calling for them to be issued with road licences to ply the Port Antonio to Buff Bay route.
They are upset that the Transport Authority only made licences available to taxi operators.
The bus operators are disgruntled that they have been left out.
The withdrawal of service by the bus operators left dozens of commuters, including students, stranded.
In a media release this morning, the Transport Authority stated that commuters in Portland can now breathe a sigh of relief as it has approved the issuance of 45 new route taxi licences for the Port Antonio to Buff Bay route, adding 225 seats along that corridor.
The authority said its decision was based on extensive research which showed that there were inadequate seats to serve the Portland community.
Operators desirous of obtaining licences for these routes should contact their associations to submit their applications.
The authority said that its operations team will be monitoring the situation and an assessment will be conducted over the next few months to determine the effectiveness of these additional routes.
But, the minibus operators are appealing to the regulator to make route licences available to them.
They are arguing that this will be to the benefit of commuters.
- Gareth Davis Snr
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