DESPITE taxi and bus operators in Kingston and St Andrew going on strike on Monday, the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) has not reported any significant increase in its revenue, citing challenges.

The State-run bus company, in a statement on Monday, said the strike forced it to ramp up its efforts to put as many units on various routes, but highlighted that the number of buses rolled out was low.

“The fact is that we are seriously challenged despite our best efforts as our fleet numbers have been the lowest in recent history. We are not putting our hands in the air, though; we are fully operational and appeal to commuters to be patient, as there will be delays, there will be inconvenience naturally,” the JUTC said.

The Jamaica Observer was told that the JUTC has approximately 250 buses available to send out each day and that figure fluctuates due to several factors, including the availability of parts. The company, however, hopes to see a vast improvement in the number of buses it is able to roll out daily, with a shipment of new vehicles expected on the island early 2023.

The company also stated that it has beefed up security to keep staff and commuters safe.

In the meantime, the JUTC recently received three containers of bus parts that were ordered in June. The transit company said it put in place a scheduled maintenance programme and will continue to do the best with the resources available.