TRANSPORT Minister Robert Pickersgill said only the state-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses will be accommodated in the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre, slated for completion by this September.

However, the minister could not say what would happen to the other public transportation operators in the Half-Way-Tree area of St Andrew..

He told the Observer during a tour of the centre on Friday, that the recommendation was made that other operators of public transport would operate out of the Mandela Park, but that decision was still to be made.

“The jury might still be out on that but we have already said in the past that the centre will be for the JUTC,” said Pickersgill.

At the same time, the minister said the maintenance of the 49 million euro facility would be funded by income generated primarily from the JUTC and the businesses that will operate from the facility.

Proposals he said could be sought for a trained maintenance team to keep the facility in ‘tip top’ shape.

“The problem we have in this country is the lack of maintenance especially in my ministry but we will cross the ‘I’ and dot the ‘Ts’ where that is concerned because there is a lot of money and if we don’t protect it, it certainly will deteriorate,” he said.

Rennie Wellington, managing director of the JR Group, the local Volvo bus dealers, which also does maintenance of some of the JUTC fleet, told the Observer that it was fitting that the centre be used only by the JUTC, saying that this was a way to ensure that the company remained viable and not have to compete with other transport operators.

“In another two years I can tell you that the only form of public transport in Kingston will be the JUTC…because that is what we are moving towards,” he said.

In the meantime, applications are pouring in for the 17 commercial shops under construction at the centre, the transport ministry said. It said 89 applications had so far been received of the 239 application forms it gave out last year.

When completed, the centre will accommodate buses on two levels, it will feature a terrace on the third level for members of the public, an administrative and utilities block, as well as three fast-food type outlets.