MoBay Metro gets eight of 12 promised new buses
Published:Saturday | August 24, 2024 | 2:48 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Come the start of the new school year, students attending the nine high schools across western Jamaica will now be able to travel in much greater comfort and efficiency as the Montego Bay Metro Bus Company (MBMBC) has been allocated 12 additional buses, bringing the region’s fleet to 18.
Eight of the buses, which are all said to be less than one year old, were presented to the management of the MBMBC on Thursday by Transport Minister Daryl Vaz during a tour of the Montego Bay-based bus depot.
Dr Shauna Gay Brown, general manager at MBMBC, described the provision of the buses as a significant boost to the company’s ability to respond to the demands of the commuting public.
“We will now have a timely dedicated transportation service to Irwin High School and Spot Valley High School in St James. So, too, for the students attending Hopewell High School in Hanover,” said Brown.
At present, the MBMBC operates a dedicated school and municipal bus service that transports students from Montego Bay to the wider St James. The service is also extended to students who attend schools in the neighbouring parishes of Trelawny, where schools such as William Knibb Memorial High and Wakefield Primary are served; and Hanover, where Rusea’s High and Sandy Bay Primary and Junior High are served. The schools served in rural St James are Spot Valley High, Cambridge High, Goodwill and Adelphi Primary.
With the additional buses, MBMBC will now be adding two new routes going into Westmoreland, which will satisfy a longstanding need in that section of the island.
“We will be offering transportation services to Bethel Town and to Savannah-la-Mar in Westmoreland. In Hanover, we will now be serving commuters in Sandy Bay and Lucea, while in St James the community of John’s Hall will benefit from the addition of new routes,” Brown told The Gleaner.
MORE BUSES TO COME
In handing over the buses, Vaz used the opportunity to apologise to the commuting public in the west for the poor service they have experienced in the past.
“I want to apologise for the fact that the services have not been up to par because of the lack of buses, but I think that we are making a huge improvement in relation to these new buses,” said Vaz, who promised to make an allocation out of the next order of new buses, so that some of those buses will be made available to MBMBC.
On the issue of offloading MBMBC to private operators, Vaz said that while it is a consideration, the decision is still pending.
“No final decision has been made as yet. It is something that we are looking at, but we have to be mindful that public transportation by the Government is always cheaper than the private sector,” said Vaz.
Going forward, Vaz said students and members of the general commuting public in Trelawny, St James, Hanover and Westmoreland should see a marked improvement in meeting their transportation needs.
“They are going to upgrade from serving five schools to nine and they are going to continue to serve the four parishes, moving from five routes to eleven,” said Vaz.
Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon said he is delighted to see the new buses coming ahead of the new school year and was particularly pleased that the buses are equipped to facilitate persons with disabilities.
“I am particularly pleased that our students will be at ease come September and that they will be able travel safely, effectively, and efficiently to and from school,” said Vernon.
“I am happy that persons with disabilities are considered because Montego Bay has been going in the direction of ensuring that persons with disabilities are properly served and this is another marker.”