Some rural buses now operating from Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre

Several rural stage carriage buses within the Corporate Area will now operate out of the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre as the Transport Authority moves to address congestion issues.

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
* Old Harbour Bay - Papine

In a statement today, the Transport Authority says the pilot project will run from today until the end of June.

The agency's managing director Willard Hylton explained that at the end of the period the project will be assessed by stakeholders to ascertain its continuity and any necessary modifications.

The move is expected to also improve the efficiency of the rural stage carriage buses and afford commuters improved comfort and security.

It was outlined that the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) has made changes to its operations within the transport centre to accommodate the rural operators.

This includes adjustments to the routes and the buses that operate within the lower level of the centre to facilitate rural stage carriage operators entering the transport centre from the lower level on Eastwood Park Road to set down passengers.

When coming from Cross Roads, downtown or Papine and returning to St Catherine, rural stage carriage buses will be required to interact with the lower level of the transport centre.

“Our technical and operations teams have had a series of meetings with the Transport Authority to ensure a seamless process come May 25. Our commuters will note that at platform 'F', the platform closest to the exit on the lower level, will now be used by rural stage carriers, while the remaining platforms, 'A-E', will now accommodate displaced units,” Cecil Thoms, Corporate Communications Manager at the JUTC, explained.

“It is to be noted that while there will be an increased volume of traffic particularly on the lower level, we assure commuters that all routes which normally use the lower floor will continue to do so. In light of the changes, there will be signage and staff of the TA and JUTC to assist commuters navigating the centre," he added.

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