UPDATED: Montague appeals for calm amid tension in transportation sector

(EDITOR'S NOTE:  A previous version of this article, based on information initially provided by a representative of the JUTC, indicated that two JUTC employees had been killed. This information has since been retracted.)

Transport Minister Robert Montague is urging calm among all stakeholders in the sector as a result of the tension between some taxi operators and some employees of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC).

A taxi driver and a JUTC driver were shot and killed in separate incidents in the Corporate Area between last night and early this morning.

The taxi operator was involved in a dispute with a JUTC driver last night along Washington Boulevard.

Videos have been circulating on social media sites showing an injured man being assisted into the trunk of a car near the entrance to Patrick City.

Montague says he’s currently being briefed on the situation, adding that urgent talks continue to restore normality to the transportation sector in the Corporate Area as soon as possible. 

In a statement this morning, he disclosed that the police are investigating two incidents which led to fatalities and have caused some tension in the sector. 

“I wish to put on my human hat and say to the family of the deceased, my profound condolences and deepest sympathies. I cannot imagine the pain associated with your loss,” he said.

Montague added that the police have also moved to establish a presence at depots and have increased their patrol on various routes which commuters, taxi operators and JUTC buses traverse.