KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) is reporting that it is in fact five of its buses and not three, that were damaged in stone throwing incidents in lower St Andrew Tuesday evening.

Two people, a driver and a passenger, suffered injuries to their eyes after a bus windshield was shattered, the state-owned company said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

The company had tweeted earlier in the day that three of its buses were damaged by stone throwing vandals. The incidents happened in the Three Miles area of St Andrew, the same area that the company flagged in a statement last week when it appealed to members of the public to desist from damaging its buses. It said such incidents not only put its drivers and passengers at risk but end up costing millions of dollars to repair the damage.

Read: Two injured after three JUTC buses damaged in stone-throwing incident in Three Miles

In a statement Wednesday, Corporate and Communications Manager at the JUTC, Cecil Thoms, disclosed that in recent weeks, the company has come under increased attacks by vandals.

“In Three Miles alone, the JUTC has recorded 29 incidents. Of that number, 19 occurred last month. With less than two months to go before the close of the year, there are 69 stone-throwing incidents. The windshield and side glass were mainly damaged in these incidents. In 2020, the company recorded 63 stone-throwing incidents for the entire year,” said Thoms.

He said that over the period, the company embarked on numerous initiatives aimed at curbing the incidents but with limited success.

At an emergency meeting to discuss the latest developments Wednesday morning, Managing Director, Paul Abrahams, said the damage to the five buses at the same location requires special security intervention.

“We have to take some bold decisions as the vandalism of our buses in quick succession is affecting our operations and our ability to serve the commuting public. These attacks seem to be deliberate and coordinated and as such we must further engage the Police High Command with a view to immediately arresting this serious problem,” Abrahams said.

He has instructed that with the scale of the matter, even more strident measures have to be taken to include the use of private security contractors and the use of technology.

It was suggested that a temporary suspension of service in the location be done, but this was placed on hold pending an assessment of the number of people that would be affected.

“In the short to medium term, the managing director has given instructions for the re-engagement of Crime Stop to assist us in arresting this problem,” said the bus company.

It listed hotspot areas for stone throwing incidents as sections of Three Miles, Bull Bay, Marcus Garvey Drive, Windward Road in the vicinity of Paradise Street and Vauxhall High School, Portmore and Spanish Town Road.