Bus drivers honk in praise at transport centre reroute
Published:Wednesday | May 26, 2021 | 12:14 AM
Coaster bus drivers are hailing the changes to the operations of several rural-stage carriage buses terminating in the Corporate Area as the best thing to happen at the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre.
The pilot project, which began on Tuesday and will run until the end of June, aims to address congestion in a key corridor of Greater Kingston and is part of a larger proposal to route all public transport through the multibillion-dollar hub.
The changes are expected to also improve the efficiency of the rural stage-carriage buses and offer commuters improved comfort and security.
The affected routes are Kingston-Guanaboavale, Kingston-Linstead, Kingston-Longville Park, Kingston-New Harbour Village, Kingston-White Water Meadows, Kingston-Point Hill, Longville Park-Papine, and Old Harbour Bay-Papine.
Bus driver Sheldon Pantram said that his trips from Spanish Town to downtown Kingston were smoother than usual on the first day of the trial.
“A di best thing. A long time dem shoulda give we yah suh. If dem did give us here, we would better off long time,” said Pantram, oozing satisfaction.
“It all right so far. We want it to go on and on and on.”
Conductors were observed escorting passengers from the old bus spots and some illegal pickup points to the transport centre on Tuesday.
The sentiment of another bus driver, Shamar Morgan, was similar to Pantram’s.
“Mi like wah gwaan. It better inside here so we want it to continue. Transport (Authority) a gwaan good!” Morgan told The Gleaner.
Several passengers at the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre expressed satisfaction at the pilot project.
However, some commuters appeared to be in the dark.
At the old Spanish Town route bus stop on Molynes Road in Half-Way Tree, a mother and daughter stood waiting in a vain for a ride.
The woman thanked passers-by for bringing it to her attention that the buses were no longer picking up passengers there and soon made her way to the transport centre.
Both the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) and the Transport Authority had workers in place at the bus hub directing commuters on boarding points.
Transport Authority Managing Director Willard Hylton said that at the end of the trial period, the project would be assessed by stakeholders to identify necessary modifications and to determine whether it should continue.
JUTC has made changes to its operations within the transport centre to accommodate the rural operators.