Public passenger transport operators and the authorities shifted into what appeared to be a comfortable gear Tuesday during a meeting at which agreement was reached for burning issues to be addressed at the highest level of Government.

“During the review, all areas of contention in the Road Traffic Act 2018 were identified and recommendations made and will be forwarded to me for consideration,” Transport Minister Daryl Vaz said in a post-meeting statement.

“One outstanding issue remains and that will be dealt with at another meeting to be convened in the coming week. And, of course, of particular interest is how to address the issue of persons who have already reached the threshold of demerit points for suspension of licences up to the point of the review. That matter will be referred to the ministry and a decision taken at Cabinet level,” Vaz added.

On Monday, as some public passenger vehicle (PPV) operators withdrew their services in several parishes, Vaz had pointed out that Tuesday’s meeting to address grouses in the sector was scheduled from last week.

The PPV operators are particularly concerned about the stipulation in the new Road Traffic Act of an automatic suspension of a driver’s licence after an accumulation of 10 demerit points. They say just one or two traffic tickets could cause them to lose their licence.

Under the law, losing 10 points could result in the licence being suspended for six months. If 14 points are lost, the licence will be suspended for a year, and accumulating 20 or more points could mean a suspension of the licence for at least two years.

On Tuesday Vaz said the question of how to resolve the issue of motorists who are issued with tickets for infractions and thereafter discover that the information pertaining to driver and or motor vehicle is incorrect was also addressed.

He said the police have made available a 24-hour help desk at the Traffic Ticketing Support Unit, located at 16 Lower Elletson Road, where these issues can be reported and resolved. “The unit can be reached at telephone number 876-591-5671 or via e-mail:
ttpu@jcf.gov.jm,” Vaz added.

He said the Steering Committee established to review the traffic ticketing demerit points system “continues to work assiduously to complete the review process and present its final recommendations by the end of June 2024 as we continue to communicate and collaborate and seek consensus”.

Added Vaz: “Everybody will get a fair hearing. Some of the concerns they have raised are legitimate concerns. They are not the only ones, there are other public and private motorists who have concerns and we need to address them so that when we finish the review we can say that we have taken into consideration all the concerns that have come to our attention.

“There was no winner yesterday [Monday], Jamaica lost, the taxi drivers who withdrew their service didn’t earn a dollar,” Vaz said as he pointed out that the planned meeting was held.

He again appealed for “good sense” to prevail and urged all parties in the matter to “continue communication, collaboration, and consensus where possible”.

Tuesday’s meeting was attended by Vaz, representatives from Jamaica Association of Transport Owners and Operators, National Council of Taxi Association, All Voice, National Transport Alliance Group, Spanish Town Taxi Association, Jamaica Association of Hackney Contract Carriage, other operators, the Transport Authority, Jamaica Constabulary Force, Island Traffic Authority, the Public Transport Operators Steering Committee, and technical representatives from the Ministry of Transport.