MOBILE patrol teams had to be deployed to every bus stop between Half-Way-Tree and downtown Kingston yesterday to inform commuters about the Jamaica Urban Transit Company’s (JUTC’s) new Sunday transfer service, which caused some amount of confusion among passengers.

The service, which shuttles commuters between Half-Way-Tree, Cross Roads, and downtown Kingston on a number 500 bus, was apparently not properly publicised.

In fact, some passengers at the Half-Way-Tree terminus argued with inspectors, complaining that the new system was “foolishness”.

According to one passenger, he took a bus to be transferred in Half-Way-Tree, but the conductor on the transfer bus did not want to accept him for downtown.

JUTC crew directed him to the right bus, while he grumbled that the new service “only a mix up people”.

A JUTC security guard travelling from Half-Way-Tree to Parade, downtown, explained that when the shuttle arrived, she did not take it as she thought it was a special bus.

“The problem we had was that commuters were not taking the bus along the route, as they thought it was a special bus,” Senior Inspector Aville James, who supervised operations at Parade terminus, told the Observer.

“We had to dispatch our mobile patrol along the route to stop at every bus stop and inform people waiting there that they could take the 500 bus as a regular service because they thought it only took up passengers at Half-Way-Tree and Parade,” she explained.

James blamed the JUTC’s Public Relations Department for failing to educate the public about how the service worked.

“To me, 80 per cent of the commuters accept the new service, but the public relations should do more to educate the public. Too much was left on the staff today,” she added.

But the JUTC’s vice-president of operations, Major Desmond Brown, said the transition went smoothly, despite a few glitches.

“I am satisfied that things are running smooth,” said Brown, who supervised the Half-Way-Tree terminus where the transfer originates.

“We had a few glitches here and there (as) most people were not fully aware of it, (and) some were confused as to what to do, but we had adequate staff on hand to explain the procedure and deal with the problems,” he added.

He explained that six transfer buses were on the route, and were accessible to commuters every five minutes.

The Sunday transfer service was designed for persons travelling to downtown Kingston and Cross Roads.

Introduced to cut cost and improve the turnaround time for buses, it is applicable to nine routes:

* Spanish Town #21B;

* Cooreville #32B

* Six Miles #33B

* Constant Spring #42B

* Havendale #44B

* Meadowbrook #46B

* Norbrook #49B

* Golden Spring #52B; and

* Border #54B.

Under this system, buses operating on these routes terminate at Mandela Park in Half-Way-Tree, and passengers wishing to travel to Cross Roads or downtown Kingston must request a transfer ticket, which they then use to board one of the six #500 buses plying the Half-Way-Tree/downtown route.

The transfer is reversible for passengers travelling from downtown Kingston to Half-Way-Tree on any of the nine bus routes.

Transfer tickets can only be used once, as they are torn by the conductor when they are presented as proof of payment.