Five more JUTC drivers charged for allegedly pocketing bus fares
Published:Friday | March 27, 2026 | 9:07 AM
Five more Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) drivers have been arrested and charged for allegedly pocketing bus fares collected from passengers.
The men were apprehended by detectives assigned to the National Strategic Anti-Gang Division, which operates under the Specialized Investigation Branch, and have been charged with embezzlement and failing to issue tickets.
Those charged are 59-year-old Paul Hall of Waterford, Portmore, St Catherine; 58-year-old Andrew Bird of Kingston 2; 43-year-old Jason Blackwood of Portmore, St Catherine; 62-year-old Elvis Simms of Waterford, Portmore, St Catherine; and 52-year-old Marlon Barnett of Albion Heights, St Thomas.
According to the police, between February 11 and March 17, 2026, the accused men, while carrying out their duties as bus drivers, collected fares on behalf of the company but failed to issue electronic receipts to account for the transactions.
Further investigations revealed that at the end of their shifts, the drivers allegedly did not hand over the collected funds to the JUTC.
A report was made to the police, prompting an investigation that led to the arrest and charging of the five men in connection with the separate incidents.
The arrests form part of an ongoing crackdown on alleged fraudulent activities at JUTC.
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