The recent introduction of Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses to St Thomas has sparked mixed response from private public transport operators in the parish with some hailing the initiative as a much-needed relief for commuters while others see it as a threat to their livelihoods.

“I don’t care about who disagree but I am glad for the [JUTC] buses. This is the best thing to ever happen to St Thomas,” said a taxi driver who gave his name as Steven.

The taxi driver, who operates on the Morant Bay-to-Yallahs route, was involved in a heated argument with other taxi and bus operators on Tuesday, sparked by a spectacle created by a tour of the parish by Minister Daryl Vaz and other stakeholders.

He was seen expressing support for the JUTC buses while being hit with verbal abuse from his colleagues who did not hold back in showing their disappointment with his position.

“You a sell-out like the rest a them,” one bus driver shouted before he left.

After the heated argument, Steven told the Jamaica Observer that he was frustrated with some of his colleagues who were arguing with him about his stance.

He argued that St Thomas residents deserve easier access to public transportation.

“The reason why I am glad for them as a taxi driver is because not everybody have it and I understand it and the Coaster buses that run to town are charging way too much plus in the evenings they do not want to carry the students from town unless they squeeze them up or tell them to stand up,” said Steven.

He declared that affordability was a key reason for his decision to support the provision of JUTC buses as he was disgruntled with what he described as the unreasonable prices set by some taxi and bus operators.

“One little six-year-old the bus man dem a charge $350 just to go to town and a things like that make me glad for these buses…Some people who only earning $16,000 every week and have to pay $500 to go town plus find other fare if they going Half-Way-Tree or Papine plus them have to find lunch, it’s just too much for some people and some people struggle to see them way,” added Steven.

He said he was not concerned about the JUTC buses impacting his earnings as there are enough passengers for everyone to thrive.

“The amount of people here who need transport is enough for everybody and everybody can eat a food. When the buses are here the people will prefer the JUTC but when those buses are gone everybody else can still get passengers and everybody can still eat a food same way because people are travelling right through the day,” said Steven.

But one man, who helps to load taxis and buses in Morant Bay, was completely opposed to Steven’s stance labelling the initiative a “sell out” of the parish.

“They come to take all of the money and bring it to town, where are we supposed to get money?” said the loader man who refused to give his name.

“When a [JUTC] bus come in to take away the work, which part we a guh mek money because everybody have them demands and them children to feed and it feels like a sell out thing because all a the little money we supposed to work only going straight to the Government,” declared the loader man.

Responding to the concerns of some bus and taxi operators, Vaz noted that while some may have concerns his observations indicate sufficient passenger demand for everyone to benefit.

“Obviously once you have competition people will never be happy but the fact of the matter is what I’m seeing here is that there’s more than enough passenger flow to satisfy both the taxis and JUTC and we just have to integrate to make sure that we offer the best services for the citizens of St Thomas and of course the country at large,” said Vaz.

JUTC began operations in St Thomas on December 2 with four buses, two each assigned to the Morant Bay-to-Kingston and Yallahs-to-Kingston routes.

Vaz announced during the tour on Tuesday that more than 5,000 passengers took the JUTC buses during its first week of operations in the parish.

“The one to Yallahs was almost 3,000 and the one to Morant Bay was almost a little over 2,000 and that’s just a start. People are still getting their smarter cards to be able to benefit from the reduced rates and there is a keen interest in the routes so this is just another expansion of the routes,” Vaz said.