KINGSTON, Jamaica —The Transport Authority (TA) has again issued a warning to operators of Public Passenger Vehicles (PPV) across the island to immediately discontinue the practice of overcharging fares.

The TA said it is responding to several complaints over the past few weeks from commuters that unscrupulous persons have produced and are issuing notices of increased fares in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR), particularly in sections of Spanish Town.

“The authority categorically denies that any fare increase has been granted for public passenger vehicle operators. For those operators that are insisting commuters pay more than the approved fares, this practice is illegal and a violation of the rights of the commuters,” the TA said in a release this morning.

Following the complaints, the TA said teams have been dispatched and are monitoring the situation closely.

It further warned that operators found to be “unlawfully deceiving passengers as to the fare for a journey” will be prosecuted under regulation 129 (d) of the Road Traffic Regulations.

“The Transport Authority will continue to prosecute for this offence as it intensifies its drive over the upcoming weeks,” it said.

In the meantime, the TA is reminding commuters that one of the dangers of using unlicenced public passenger vehicles is that these operators often charge exorbitant fares.

“The authority is therefore urging the commuting public to use licenced public transport vehicles which display red public passenger vehicle plates and the light blue Transport Authority sticker on the windshield with expiration dates of 2020 and onwards.”

The TA said commuters may report incidents of overcharging through its toll- free line at 1-888-991-5687; WhatsApp images or videos to 1-876-551-8196, providing the licences plate numbers and the routes for the vehicles; or download the Drive Safe Jamaica app in the Google Playstore and submit your images or videos.