MONTEGO BAY, St James — A recent addition of 12 buses to its fleet plus increasing demand for its service, some from unexpected clients, have Montego Bay Metro looking to hire at least another 20 drivers.

“We have some new routes such as Montego Bay to Savanna-la-Mar and to Bethel Town and we now require more drivers so we can adequately service those routes,” the bus company’s General Manager Dr Shauna Gaye Brown told the Jamaica Observer.

“The management of Montego Bay Metro is inviting qualified individuals who have a desire to serve to become a part of a dynamic team. They need to have an open PPV (public passenger vehicle) licence for at least three years,” she added.

Brown explained that the company has added and trained drivers since the Government provided it with a dozen buses, but there is still a need more. The company is also looking to hire mechanics to service and maintain its fleet.

In addition to the new routes, MoBay Metro has also met unexpected demand from Barracks Road Primary School which is ferrying some students to Faith Temple Assemblies of God because of incomplete renovation to repair damage left by Hurricane Beryl in July.

The bus company has a short-term arrangement to provide two trips in the morning and two in the afternoon to ferry students between both locations. According to Brown, the company transported almost 200 students last Monday, the first day the service was offered. She said there was never any doubt that the bus company would offer assistance once the regional office of the education ministry reached out for help.

“We did not hesitate; schools have been a priority for us and therefore we moved quickly to make it happen,” Brown told the Observer.

“It was not a difficult decision at all. Safe transportation of our children is part of our commitment,” she continued.

Brown said the company will provide support as long as it is needed, matching assurance also provided by the church.

In addition to the quick trips provided to Barracks Road Primary, the bus company has been making longer runs as it serves routes across western Jamaica.

“We have transported more than 9,000 students since [the new school year began], providing them with direct transportation between the schools and the drop-off and pick-up points in Montego Bay,” said Brown.

MoBay Metro’s dedicated service now provides transportation to nine schools — Anchovy, William Knibb Memorial, Spot Valley, Cambridge, Irwin, Hopewell, Muschett, Rusea’s, and Knockalva Technical high schools.