Fare fight - Phillips puts proposals on table salvage ‘decaying’ public transport system

Opposition spokesman on Transport Mikael Phillips says the Government’s failure to craft and implement a coherent transport policy in the last 10 years has led to an “embarrassing spectacle” of state and private entities aggressively jostling for passengers and fares across the country.

In his contribution to the 2026-27 Sectoral Debate in Parliament yesterday, Phillips presented policy considerations for the Government to review. He said his recommendations could help to salvage the public transport system from its current state of decay.

Referencing recent protest action by bus operators along the Ocho Rios to Kingston corridor, Phillips said the route was plunged into chaos as transport personnel withdrew their services.

According to Phillips, the bus operators were upset about the state-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited’s (JUTC) incursions into their licensed routes. He said the operators characterised it as a direct assault on their livelihoods.

“These operators contend that the JUTC is leveraging artificially low fares to create an unfair competitive environment, whittling away route revenue expectations,” he said.

The opposition spokesman argued that such developments highlight the urgent need for a coherent policy for the sector.

Phillips suggested the setting up of a single transport planning authority in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR) with real power to coordinate JUTC, route taxis, hackney carriages, municipalities, traffic management and infrastructure. At present, he said, responsibilities are too scattered.

He noted that a strengthened metropolitan transport authority should plan routes, set service standards, approve parking arrangements, regulate fares, publish data, and hold operators accountable.

Another measure suggested by Phillips is for the administration to set a new minimum bus-seat target for the KMTR, based on peak-hour demand, and publish quarterly progress.

He said the priority should be high-capacity buses on major corridors, such as Spanish Town Road, Half-Way Tree, downtown Kingston, Portmore, Papine, Cross Roads and Constant Spring.

Phillips also said the Government should move with urgency to establish a functional and workable taxi franchise system in the KMTR.

“Any thorough evaluation of our transport industry must recognise the indispensable role of our committed taxi operators, who constitute the fundamental core of Jamaica's commuting environment, and it is time we strategically integrate their service demands,” he added.

The opposition spokesman also urged the transport ministry to offer a national taxi modernisation grant and loan facility through a strategic partnership with the Development Bank of Jamaica and commercial financiers.

“This mechanism should provide restorative financing and partial grants to operators who integrate into the franchise framework and pledge to procure fit-for-purpose units.”

 edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com