Luxury bus service, Knutsford Express, hopes to create employment for an additional 10 people with the buildout of a terminal for passengers looking to connect to its scheduled services at Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay.

Director of Knutsford Express, Oliver Townsend — while tight-lipped on what the expansion will cost the company — told the

Jamaica Observer that the move is in keeping with leading destinations’ multimodal transit hub. The new terminal is also expected to improve ease and independence of travel for commuters.

“With the traffic congestion between the airport and downtown MoBay, commuters have to spend an unreasonable amount of time in traffic to get to us and then they end up passing the airport again which doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “It’s not efficient.”

The company, which prides itself on comfort, safety and reliability, is now working to have the terminal operational by the end of February.

“Beginning of March, end February we are looking to have an approximation of what is a multi-modal situation in Montego Bay, where returning Jamaicans and tourists will be able to connect with our scheduled service across the island directly from the airport,” Townsend told the audience at the recently held Jamaica Stock Exchange 12th Regional Investments and Capital Markets Conference.

“We believe that the terminal is going to expand the market based on the feedback we get from overseas companies who are in the business of developing travel plans or sending relatives to Jamaica, this will mean a lot to them,” Townsend told the Sunday Finance. “We think more people will be inclined to travel.”

The new terminal is the latest development for the bus company, which, since launching an initial public offering (IPO) on the Jamaica Stock Exchange some three years ago, has not only quadrupled its offering per share but has been keen on increasing the satisfaction of its commuters.

Last year, Knutsford Express added a new subsidiary — KE Connect Ltd — which provides shuttle service and corporate car rentals. A year earlier, the company extended its services to Port Antonio, providing convenient travel for some 14,000 passengers.

Townsend anticipates that the redevelopment of the Dragon Bay Hotel in Portland at the cost of US$100 million by hotelier Gordon “Butch” Stewart, should also augur well for the luxury bus company.

“Historically Dragon Bay was the hotel in Port Antonio. It was pivotal in providing economic activities to the parish and when it comes back, automatically there is going to be an uptick in that local economy which will be good for us, but it depends on the type of service packaging they are offering.

“If it’s an all-inclusive package then obviously it might have everything all-included. But then you have a small sector of the market that likes the independence of travel. They want to vacation at Dragon Bay, but they also want to experience other parts of Jamaica so I’m sure there is some benefit there for us,” Townsend said.

Knutsford Express produced revenue of $176 million for the second quarter ending November 2016, 38 per cent more than revenue realised a year earlier.

Total assets also grew by 24 per cent in the quarter from $376 million to $466 million, reflecting continued investment in new coaches.