MONTEGO BAY, St James — Drivers of Toyota Coaster buses yesterday parked their vehicles inside the Montego Bay Transportation Centre in protest against an Island Traffic Authority (ITA) ruling that they carry a maximum 22 passengers.

The operators of these vehicles usually transport 29 passengers.

The disgruntled drivers promised to keep up their protest until Government responds to their concerns. Similar protests took place across the island yesterday.

“Twenty-two can’t work. We buy the bus as 29-seater and now Government a come tell we bout 22. It can’t work. It can’t work. Every two weeks you have to buy two front tyres which cost $13,000 each, disc pad is for $7,000, gas oil go up every week. Where we a go get it from? If them want take the business and run it for themselves take it and run it for themselves,” Coaster bus operator Courtney Walters whose bus plies the Montego Bay to Kingston route told the Observer West.

He added: “As long as it take, we a go keep it (withdrawal of service) up, boss. If it takes two weeks we going keep it up because it can’t work. A run them want run we out a business.

A disgruntled Carome Ludlow expressed similar sentiments.

“Them give us ticket for nothing at all. We can’t manage it. They are giving us overload ticket for nothing at all and we buy the bus with the seats inna it,” Ludlow remarked.

Some commuters opted to travel on 16-seater buses which ply the Montego Bay to Kingston route, in the absence of the larger buses.

Also, despite the withdrawal of service by most Coaster bus drivers, the Observer West team noticed two such buses, loaded with passengers, leaving the transportation centre.