KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) will be repairing 100 buses to increase its fleet before the end of the fiscal year.

This was disclosed by Minister of Transport and Mining, Lester Michael Henry, while responding to questions regarding the adequacy of the JUTC’s fleet in the House of Representatives today.

“There will be no purchase of new buses, as there was no fiscal space or financing left in place. The programme is to refurbish 160 to 200 buses. So, the parts ordered are to ensure that we put back in the system at least 100 more buses between now and the end of the financial year,” he said.

The minister pointed out that 160 buses are currently out of service due to the lack of parts.

Henry informed that Cabinet has approved $985 million to begin the repairs to the end of this financial year.

“The JUTC urgently requires additional buses. I am currently exploring options for doing so. However, the immediate focus is on the procurement of spare parts for refurbishing the buses,” he said.

Henry noted that the spare parts, which are needed to repair the buses, are expected to arrive in the island in approximately 30 to 40 days.

He informed that there are no plans to increase bus fares for commuters or to sub-franchise holders.

Meanwhile, Henry said as at October 2016, approximately 380 to 390 buses are rolled out each day by the State-owned bus company. He noted, however, that 481 buses are required to transport passengers per day. 

The minister noted that the JUTC has no outstanding Special Consumption Tax (SCT), and that the company did seek support from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service for a waiver from the payment of SCT.

“An arrangement has been agreed with the Ministry to deal with the payment of SCT up to December 31, 2016,” he said.

He added that the Ministry of Transport and Mining is now preparing a Cabinet submission to address payments of SCT for the rest of this financial year.

The minister said that revenue intake for the period May 2016 to August 2016 is $1.76 billion.

The JUTC is the government-owned bus service operating within the Kingston Metropolitan Transit Region (KMTR), Spanish Town, and Portmore.