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University students vow to fight JUTC to keep bus routes
BY INGRID BROWN Observer staff reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
THE University of Technology (UTech) Students' Union says it is prepared to do battle with the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), on behalf of the 7,000 students who will be affected, if the state-owned company holds firm to its plan to remove buses contracted by the university to transport its students.
The JUTC said buses have been operating illegally and were infringing on its licence since it had the exclusive rights to operate in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR).
The JUTC said the students would have to put forward a very convincing argument, supported by facts if it should offer any consideration to granting a sub-licence to these bus operators which transport UTech and University of the West Indies (UWI) students from Harbour View, Portmore, Spanish Town, Duhaney Park and Gregory Park, via Half-Way-Tree, and as far as Old Harbour, about 14 miles outside of Spanish Town.
Service manager at JUTC, Kirk Finnikin, told the Observer yesterday that the bus company was not yet in a position to say what the next move would be as it was still waiting to receive copies of the licence that the current bus operators were operating under.
He said JUTC officials would at least have one sit-down meeting with representatives of the two universities, but said this was not an indication that the buses would be able to continue operating.
"If they can present a valid argument then it would strengthen their case but it is not a guarantee that we will grant such a sub-licence," he said.
In the meantime, Tameka Chevannes, vice-president for public relations at UTech Student Union said this bus service offered to the students was heavily subsidised by the students' union, dues and other sources.
"The UTech Students' Union is in no way threatening the operations of the JUTC because we operate under a loss to provide this service to our students for their welfare," she said.
The UTech Students' Union, meanwhile, said all buses contracted by them were owned by JUTA operators, who all have contract carriage licences which enable them to operate on a contractual basis.
"This bus service has been ongoing for over three years and the UTech Students' Union was never advised by the Transport Authority to seek licences directly from the JUTC," the UTech Students' Union said yesterday. "The Transport Authority even issued contract carriage licences to the bus owners/operators in question, provided that they could provide proof of being contracted by the UTech Students' Union," the statement added.
It said, too, that the student union was given stipulations by the Transport Authority under which these buses should operate. Based on these stipulations, the buses were only to transport UTech and UWI students, which they have conformed to.
BY INGRID BROWN Observer staff reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
THE University of Technology (UTech) Students' Union says it is prepared to do battle with the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), on behalf of the 7,000 students who will be affected, if the state-owned company holds firm to its plan to remove buses contracted by the university to transport its students.
The JUTC said buses have been operating illegally and were infringing on its licence since it had the exclusive rights to operate in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR).
The JUTC said the students would have to put forward a very convincing argument, supported by facts if it should offer any consideration to granting a sub-licence to these bus operators which transport UTech and University of the West Indies (UWI) students from Harbour View, Portmore, Spanish Town, Duhaney Park and Gregory Park, via Half-Way-Tree, and as far as Old Harbour, about 14 miles outside of Spanish Town.
Service manager at JUTC, Kirk Finnikin, told the Observer yesterday that the bus company was not yet in a position to say what the next move would be as it was still waiting to receive copies of the licence that the current bus operators were operating under.
He said JUTC officials would at least have one sit-down meeting with representatives of the two universities, but said this was not an indication that the buses would be able to continue operating.
"If they can present a valid argument then it would strengthen their case but it is not a guarantee that we will grant such a sub-licence," he said.
In the meantime, Tameka Chevannes, vice-president for public relations at UTech Student Union said this bus service offered to the students was heavily subsidised by the students' union, dues and other sources.
"The UTech Students' Union is in no way threatening the operations of the JUTC because we operate under a loss to provide this service to our students for their welfare," she said.
The UTech Students' Union, meanwhile, said all buses contracted by them were owned by JUTA operators, who all have contract carriage licences which enable them to operate on a contractual basis.
"This bus service has been ongoing for over three years and the UTech Students' Union was never advised by the Transport Authority to seek licences directly from the JUTC," the UTech Students' Union said yesterday. "The Transport Authority even issued contract carriage licences to the bus owners/operators in question, provided that they could provide proof of being contracted by the UTech Students' Union," the statement added.
It said, too, that the student union was given stipulations by the Transport Authority under which these buses should operate. Based on these stipulations, the buses were only to transport UTech and UWI students, which they have conformed to.
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