Rural busmen consider court action

Sheldon Williams, Gleaner Writer

Rural bus operators are preparing to legally challenge the Transport Authority and Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) over the decision to prevent them from picking up and letting off passengers in the Kingston Metropolitan Transit Region (KMTR).

The Transport Authority maintains its position. However, president of the Rural Urban Transport Association, Henry Marshall, said the enforcement is unfair.

"According to our licence, all along the route, we are supposed to pick up and set down at the bus stop and, when there is no bus stop, at an appropriate area. Recently, we have been hearing that we cannot pick up when you are going in, and when you are coming from out of town, you cannot drop off," he said.

In a release sent to the media, Foster explained that the Transport Authority is enforcing the provisions of the Public Passenger Transport (Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region) Act (1947).

Under sections 3(3) and 3(4) of the act, no passenger carried on the [rural stage carriage] service [that is, on any route which is partly within the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region] shall be taken up at any point within the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region, or not more than 440 yards of the boundary of that area, and set down on the same journey at any other point within that area, or not more than 440 yards of the boundary unless the licensee has consented in writing to the taking up and setting down of passengers as aforesaid on such service.

Managing director of the Transport Authority, Donald Foster, noted that rural bus operators will be able to stop and pick up at designated bus stops within the KMTR. He said, "Rural stage carriages are allowed to take up passengers at the designated bus stops within the KMTR, within the prescribed boundary, and set down the same passengers outside the KMTR."

He also pointed out that "rural stage carriages are also allowed to take up passengers outside of the KMTR and set down the said passengers at designated bus stops within the KMTR. In sum, all passengers taken up by rural stage carriages within the KMTR are to be set down outside of the KMTR."

Marshall has argued that the distance between bus stops will discourage commuters from taking their buses and take JUTC buses instead.

"We do not quarrel about that, but when you listen to where the bus stops are, one bus stop is here and you have to go another mile before you see another bus stop. It's some distance, more than a mile," he said

So, Marshall said, "They are not going to take our buses; they are going to take the JUTC, because every few chains, there is a bus stop. For the JUTC, there is a bus stop every few chains, but for us, our bus stops are miles apart. If we try to operate that way, very soon, we will be out of business."

He gave the Linstead to Kingston route as an example of the hardships the rural operators are facing. "Many of my own colleagues have rolled over; they can't buy tyres, they can't insure, they can't even buy gas oil," Marshall said.

On April 24, bus operators on the route to Kingston withdrew their services in St Thomas to oppose the Transport Authority's decision to stop rural carriage operators from picking up and letting off passengers in the KMTR.