THE Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) yesterday received 10 upgraded articulated Volvo coach buses which, if used properly, could save the company millions in fuel costs and reduce congestion on the roads, according to local Volvo bus dealer JR Group.

The ten air-conditioned buses, all of which have cushioned seating and overhead luggage compartments, represented the last of the 50 buses handed over to the company under an agreement with the local dealers. Twenty-nine buses were provided for use during Cricket World Cup 2007.

“One bus load takes one and a half kilometres of road traffic from the road network. for fuel just two to three trips per day, six days per week will save the country $1.8 million on fuel imports (per year),” said JR Group managing director, JR Wellington.

The buses, costing approximately US$400,000 each and capable of seating 81 passengers, will be used for mostly out-of-town trips to areas such as Spanish Town and Greater Portmore. Four of the buses are equipped with lavatories.

Yesterday, JUTC president Ryan White disclosed that the company had embarked on a programme to refurbish its current fleet.

“What we have is a situation where the buses need overhauling so we are doing that. Reliability was a major problem, the buses are not being as reliable as they should. At this point we have done 97 buses.we have some 537 buses in the fleet,” he said, adding that the programme did not include the new buses.

Meanwhile, Transport and Works Minister Robert Pickersgill urged the drivers, conductors and commuters to take care of the new buses.

“I take this opportunity to appeal to commuters to take care of these units, as ultimately it will be to your benefit,” he said.

“The public can only judge the system by the courtesy of the driver or the conductor, or the poor behaviour of the driver and conductor. So the responsibility that you have is second to none,” he added.