LINSTEAD, St Catherine — The authorities enjoyed some success as they forced bus and taxi operators to use Linstead’s two transportation hubs on Tuesday, but questions remain about whether the momentum will be sustained.

To enforce the drive for the operators of public passenger vehicles to use the transportation hubs, several members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force were deployed throughout Linstead town. They were supported by representatives of the Transport Authority as well as the St Catherine Municipal Corporation police.

“A lot of police were assigned on Tuesday because of this plan to have the drivers operating in the park. The police don’t normally have the resources to do it daily; they need more manpower at the police station,” said Owayne Weir, vice-president of the Bog Walk and Linstead Taxi Association and a member of the committee pushing to increase use of the transportation centres.

He claimed that commuters are not making the law enforcers’ job any easier as they support rogue operators who pick up and drop off passengers illegally in the streets.

To help get the commuters on their side, the organisers placed a sound system strategically in Linstead appealing for support.

Christopher Angus, manager at Linstead Transportation Centre, which is operated by the St Catherine Municipal Corporation, shared the sentiment that sensitisation of commuters is paramount.

“You have motorists who dedicate themselves to use the park and they are not getting the support from commuters because those commuters take the buses and taxis that operate illegally in Linstead,” Angus said.

He also chided the so-called “loader men” who operate in the town and prod commuters into vehicles that are operating contrary to the law.

These loader men are also being accused of passing information on to illegal operators regarding the whereabouts of traffic cops.

“The loader men are one of the major problems,” Angus asserted.

According to Angus, the Linstead Transportation Centre has ample space to accommodate all operators on routes assigned to that facility.

“At any given time, we can accommodate up to 60 taxis and 30 buses inside the park,” declared Angus.

To operate in the public park he manages, each bus operator is charged $300 daily and each car operator $200.

Although space was not an issue at Linstead Transport Centre on King Street, it was a major one for motorists at the smaller facility on Fourth Street.

One taxi operator suggested that the space issue at the smaller centre be resolved by having taxis on the Kellits and Lluidas Vale routes terminated elsewhere, perhaps at Lluidas Vale and Ewarton, respectively.

That suggestion found favour with Odane Davis, who operates a taxi from Linstead to Kellits. However, he emphasised that serious consideration would have to be given to a new fare structure that is meaningful to taxi operators if changes are made to the route.

In the meantime, commuters had mixed reactions to the clampdown, which resulted in many of them walking almost a quarter of a mile from Linstead’s main shopping area to the transportation centres. Their primary concern is the movement of their purchases.

The authorities, using the sound system, encouraged commuters to shop only with businesses that are willing to take the purchased goods to the transportation hubs.

Some commuters opted to use handcart operators, who charge between $100 and $300 depending on the amount of goods they carry and the distance they cover.

A handcart driver, Kevon Weir, who was busy cashing in on the operation, told the Jamaica Observer that most commuters did not have an issue with his prices.

He declared full support for the drive to get motorists into the transport centres, but he expressed doubt that enough law enforcers will be available to continue applying the needed pressure to achieve compliance.

“Sometimes even emergency vehicles want go through Linstead town and that end up causing a lot of bumper-to-bumper traffic because of the congestion,” Weir lamented.

Veronica Barnes, a commuter, was outraged partly because she had to hire a handcart driver to take her goods from the town’s main shopping area to Linstead taxi stand.

“Mi haffi pay the handcart $200 to come round here [at Linstead taxi stand], plus mi taxi fare, plus mi haffi pay extra if mi a turn off the main road. Wi nuh have the money; wi have pickney a go school. Wi need fi get out this Government,” fumed Barnes as she argued that taxis can be allowed to pick up and drop off on the streets of Linstead.

However, councillor for Linstead Division Herbert Garriques of the People’s National Party thinks Barnes and other commuters should not have a big issue paying handcart drivers to carry their goods.

“If I am going to the wholesale in the town and I buy some stuff and I can’t manage to take it to the transport centre or the taxi stand because it is heavy, I might just be creating a little employment for a young man who might be thinking about going into crime. He is going to build a handcart,” Garriques told the Observer.

He argued that more shoppers would support Linstead’s businesses if the streets were not congested.

“When the town is congested the police have a difficult time because of how the young men commit crimes and meander through the crowd. The police cannot apprehend them… We are hoping that this operation is not going to be a one-off Tuesday morning one,” added Garriques.

In the meantime, Deputy Superintendent of Police Sharmitch Barnett who visited the Linstead Transportation Centre on Tuesday declared the police will make the best use of the limited resources available to help keep Linstead’s streets clear of law-breaking bus and taxi operators.

Barnett also underscored the importance of urging commuters to use the transport centres.