KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Transport and Mining Mike Henry has suggested procurement of 270 more buses for the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC).

Speaking in the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Henry said a draft submission has been prepared, asking the cabinet to:

(1) Grant approval for the proposed purchase of new buses, and for the Ministry of Finance to negotiate loans with ING Bank, a branch of the ING-DiBa AG, Belgium, for the acquisition of 200 Belgian buses and spare parts and provision of technical and engineering support for the JUTC, valued at just over 99 million euros; and

(2) Negotiate a loan agreement with the Bank of China Limited for 70 Chinese buses, spare parts and provision of technical support from Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus Company Limited for the JUTC, valued at just over US$11 million.

Henry said that he will be holding a press conference soon to “reveal the true picture of the company”, and will also be reporting shortly on an audit that he ordered recently of its management.

“When the official findings are available in full, and are revealed, Jamaicans will be able to decide, on the basis of clear evidence- not the words of a political pastor- what the real situation is at the JUTC,” Henry said.

Balford Henry