Commuter experience to be enhanced with the arrival of 100 new CNG buses
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaicans can now expect some reprieve in their commute as 100 new CNG buses arrived on the island on Monday.
The buses are valued at $3 billion.
Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Daryl Vaz, in his sectoral presentation in June, had announced that 300 new buses would be added to the Jamaica Urban Transit Company’s (JUTC) fleet and would for the first time, be purchased using Jamaica’s own money.
The arrival of the 100 buses represents the first phase of a three-phase procurement and will see the buses available to the public for the upcoming academic year, significantly reducing the wait time for commuters.
The other phases include the procurement of an additional 100 CNG buses by the third quarter of the financial year 2024/25 and the acquisition of the final 100 buses in Fiscal Year 2025/2026.
Vaz indicated that this is a representation of the ministry’s commitment to reducing the misery index of the Jamaican public and improving JUTC services.
“I can say that the commitment has been made and met. We will have 100 new buses in the fleet for back to school, which will improve things significantly,” he said.
The buses are equipped with a number of features including Wi-Fi; a camera system to allow better monitoring of the units; geo-tracking; fire suppression system; electronically controlled air suppression to allow for easy embarking and disembarking of the elderly and physically challenged; lumbar support for the drivers; among many other features.
Additionally, 10 of these buses are specially equipped for the disabled.
The minister further indicated that commuters will be able to track the movement of the buses through a mobile app.
“These buses are smart buses, and therefore the commuters and the public at large, will be able to interact through an app which will allow for them to track these buses to see exactly what time they are expected at the various locations,” he said.
The addition of these 100 buses will bring the total number of new buses introduced into the public transportation system since May 2023 to 171 units.
