Repairs for JUTC's relics

Laranzo Dacres,  Sunday Gleaner Writer

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) plans to kick-start a project that will see the rehabilitation of 27 of its laid-up buses by Brazilian engineers to be stationed in Jamaica. However, although the company is awaiting approval for the work to begin, the timeline set for this project would be later this year and would run over a six-month period.

Reginald Allen, corporate communications manager, JUTC, said the move is a strategic one aimed at saving money that would be incurred if the buses were to be shipped to Brazil for remodelling.

With the company upgrading its fleet with the addition of new, yellow Volvo buses, equipped with air-conditioning and surveillance cameras - among other new features - to provide commuters with more comfort during their travel, Allen said over time the JUTC has plans to replace all the existing buses with ones that would offer the features of the newer models.

"We are moving to have air-conditioning in all our buses, as well as other updated features" he said.

Benefits of programme

Allen noted that the buses to be rehabilitated in this programme would be the Volvo brand, which make up a large portion of the current fleet.

"With the primary aim of the project being to get value for money by eliminating shipping, customs and other logistical costs that would be associated with sending our units overseas, the most critical point I wish to make is that by having the experts do the work in Jamaica, we would be able to transfer technology and know-how to our people. So, in the future we (at JUTC) should be able to do the repairs at the same standard as the Brazilian experts," he told Automotives.

As a testimony to the Brazilian engineers' abilities, Allen said JUTC tested their abilities by sending a "pilot unit" to Brazil for rehabilitation, which cost the bus company about J$12 million. The cost of a new Volvo bus, similar to the ones currently in JUTC's fleet, is J$30 million.

"The rehabilitation job was exceptional. We sent them a crashed bus and when we got it back it was completely remodelled, with air-conditioning and other new features put in," Allen noted.

The JUTC corporate communications manager said the repairs to be done to the 27 old buses by the Brazilian experts working in Jamaica should run the company about US$125,000 (J$10,750,000) each.

"When they have completed the rehabilitation process, you will not be able to tell that an old bus had been repaired. Also, each of those buses will have an additional eight-year life span," Allen explained.

JUTC has more than 300 operational buses in its fleet, with hundreds more laid-up and out of service.