Dear Editor,

I am a frequent commuter on the Jamaica Urban Transport (JUTC) buses, and I am displeased with the unkempt condition of many of these public carriers. On numerous occasions I have witnessed garbage of all forms – plastic and paper recklessly disposed of on and under the seats of these buses.

This wanton disposal of our garbage demonstrates the scant regard some of us hold for cleanliness. Have we forgotten that cleanliness is next to godliness? Furthermore, have we forgotten that our hard-earned tax dollars helped to buy these buses and so we share ownership? Is this how we honestly want to continue treating the very resources that we laboured so hard to acquire?

I cannot fathom any other justification besides sheer nastiness, why so many of us would discard our waste on the very transport we have to sit and breathe in for minutes, if not hours.

I am also very perplexed by the unsightly graffiti that taint the internal and external structures of some of the JUTC buses. Based on the names of various schools and the contemporary slang terms represented by the graffiti, it is evident that most of these marks are made by younger students. Certainly, our children should know and do better, but I can hardly expect such from them when the adults around them openly perpetuate a destructive culture.

Jamaicans, we really cannot continue to operate so carelessly. We cannot expect our government to dig into our tax coffers and spend unnecessarily on refurbishing buses that we have besmirched.

Let us make a vow to correctly dispose of our garbage and preserve the cleanliness and beauty of our entire surroundings. Good citizens don’t destroy; let us clean up our environment!

Shawna Kay Williams

Kingston 5

Shawna201@gmail.com