KINGSTON, Jamaica- New Acting Managing Director at the Transport Authority, Willard Hylton, is on a mission to improve the authority and the services it provides.

Hylton, who has just completed his first month in his new position, said he has taken the approach of obtaining feedback from stakeholders, especially the staff at this time.

“The information that we gather is going to be helpful in determining the way we lead the agency,” he said.

He said the authority has 16 locations across the island and that he and his management team have been to all locations on a fact-finding mission and to listen to the concerns of the staff.

“The management team is quite clear about some of the things that we need to do to make the staff happy and more productive at work,” he explained.

“We have to look after ourselves to be able to deliver what the public is expecting.”

He admitted that some of the facilities are in need of improvements to make them more comfortable for staff, and has committed to ensuring that this is done.

According to Hylton, there are also outstanding internal staff concerns that will be attended to as well.

He said that it is important that the concerns of the staff are addressed, “so we have a clear understanding about the things that we need to do to make the staff happy at work, and we believe that if the staff is happy, it transcends itself right through, not just where we are but to the entire country”.

Hylton says he has also been taking the time to meet with other stakeholders, such as the route taxi associations, to determine how to support their activities. He said it is important for them to understand that their operation is not just about money and fare increases but rather what can be done to make the business that they are operating more viable.

He added that he will also be focusing on communicating with the public, so that they can understand their role in changing how public transportation systems operate in Jamaica.

Hylton brings more than 30 years of experience in sales and marketing to the position. He taught for a number of years at the community level, through the HEART/National Service Training Agency Trust.

He is a former regional manager and a former general manager in human resources at the authority.

“I bring all of what I have learned and garnered over the years to see how best we can move the authority to the next level. I think the public expects that we are not going to be just an average entity in government. The public, which is more aware and conscious of how things should be, is demanding more,” he said.