THE Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) is projected to lose close to $2.5 billion next fiscal year, based on information available from the Jamaica Public Bodies (JPB), tabled in the House of Representatives yesterday.

This would be a very significant increase over the close to $1.9-billion operating loss the government-owned bus company estimated to lose during the current financial year, 2014/15.

However, the government will be pumping a further $2.2 billion into the JUTC through annual grants this, as it did in pumping $3 billion into the company 2014/15 but could not prevent it suffering a $2 billion loss.

The JUTC suffered $1.7 billion in unaudited operating loss during fiscal year 2013/ 14 despite getting $2 billion in government grants.

According to the JUTC, its 2015/16 operational plan assumes continued developments and generally improved operating efficiencies and long-term viability, in order to achieve its mandate.

The plan is predicated on six imperatives:

(1) Sustained run-out of 445-460 buses daily, from an available fleet of 516 buses;

(2) Continued implementation of the electronic/cashless fare collection system (It is expected that through aggressive marketing and improved service reliability, that a 75 per cent cashless fare box will be achieved);

(3) Strong marketing and communication programmes to ensure accessibility of cards and top-ups by commuters, through the establishment of strategic point-of-sale outlets, ongoing promotions and public education;

(4) Improved revenue collection by the curtailment of fare box leakage;

(5) Improved maintenance plan to sustain operability of buses, facilitated by collaboration with HEART Trust/NTA; and,

(6) Continued monitoring of the operations of sub- franchise operators to better regulate buses during the day’s operations. There will be close collaboration with the Transport Authority in this regard.

— Balford Henry