Cecil Thoms | Stop the blame game

It is approaching nearly two weeks now since the disappearance of 22-year-old visually impaired University of the West Indies, UWI student Jasmine Dean.

It is reported that Dean had been waiting on a bus at the University’s Irvine Hall gate from around 8 pm, but, because of a protracted delay she boarded a taxi sometime after 9 pm on February 27.

She has not been seen or heard from since. Like all well-thinking Jamaicans, we are all saddened by her disappearance and continue to hold out hope that she will be found alive and well.

We appeal to the perpetrator/s to do, the right thing and #Bringherhome and for person/s who would have witnessed something, anything, to report it to the police.

Too often in this society, we play ‘see and blind, hear and deaf’ until it reaches our very own doorstep. As the story continues to unfurl, however, there has been some finger-pointing and blame game over which we wish to set the record straight.

I draw your attention to the headline in The Gleaner of Tuesday, March 10, 2020, which screamed, “JUTC blamed for Jasmine Dean disappearance”.

It quoted Opposition Senator Floyd Morris as saying that “The public transportation system failed her ... it wasn’t the university; it is the public transportation system that was not available, whether it be taxi or the JUTC (Jamaica Urban Transport Company) buses.”

A cursory glance at our records shows that Jasmine Dean uses the JUTC regularly. On the day in question she boarded route 97 at 11:54 am downtown. On reaching downtown, she topped up her Smartercard and proceeded to take route 77 to Papine at 12:42 pm. Sometime after 9 pm that night, she took a taxi, and what happened thereafter remains shrouded in mystery.

ARRANGEMENT WITH UWI

In 2016, the JUTC had an arrangement in place with the University of the West Indies (UWI) in which it went directly on the campus. However, that programme was discontinued by them and we have not been contacted since to resume the programme.

Let me be pellucid: there are challenges and we are working through them. Yes, we can and must operate more efficiently, and efforts are underway to do just that. To say, however, that we are at fault is grossly irresponsible and unfair. We pray this does not expose the company to further attacks, such as stoning/vandalism, Which The Gleaner itself has rightly highlighted in many of its reports.

Yesterday, senior managers of the JUTC met with representatives of the Office of Student Services and, Development at the UWI Mona campus where a host of issues was ventilated.

Following that meeting, we have decided to deploy additional units to service routes 77 and 78, with immediate effect. We will assess the outcome of this measure in 28 days.

The Guild of Students is to provide us with schedules and areas of need, so we may more clinically satisfy demand. There was also an indication of the possible resumption of JUTC buses returning directly to the campus as was in place before 2016 and to further deepen the dialogue as the matter transcends the provision of a safe mode of public transportation for the University, community.

Cecil Thoms is corporate communications manager, Jamaica Urban Transit Company. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.