Dear Editor,

President of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Service (TODSS) Egerton Newman in advocating for his members has endorsed the disruption of the public transport system on Monday, November 14, 2022.

The main issue at hand is the plea for an amnesty to be granted to the operators for the opportunity to pay off outstanding tickets without being liable for prosecution. This is not an unreasonable ask of them, but let’s put it into perspective. Would granting the amnesty request fix the issue of the drivers racking up hundreds of traffic tickets?

Are the tickets really the issue?

Will all be well on our roads if an amnesty is levied at the feet of the operators?

Will the dirty, lawless driving from the operators be a thing of the past after an amnesty?

If the answers to these questions are yes, then by all means grant the amnesty. However, there are more issues to address than to strike solely for an amnesty, and without those issues being addressed, next year they will be asking for another amnesty. How about striking for proper parking for the operators? How about striking for the Government to fix the bad roads? How about striking for the Government to offer affordable fuel prices? How about striking out against criminals taking ‘set’ and robbing and hurting operators?

The public will agree that the operators aren’t angels and have caused some dangerous happenings on our roads, for which a ticket is the least of their woes. While public operators provide a valuable service transporting commuters, they are also the reason for many crashes and traffic pile-ups.

Operators of public transport should be subjected to a biannual licence check so as not to have hundreds of outstanding tickets while still transporting passengers. They are not laws unto themselves, and the issuing of tickets by the State is a measure used to maintain order on our roads.

If the amnesty will lead to better behaviour from the bus and taxi operators, then I would say grant them their wish so that Jamaicans can live happily ever after.

Unfortunately, amnesty is not unique to Jamaican bus and taxi operators, they just accumulate the tickets and wait for an amnesty, that’s not the solution.

Hezekan Bolton

h_e_z_e@hotmail.com