KINGSTON, Jamaica—The Transport Authority is advising members of the public that there has been no authorised fare increase at this time.

The authority, in a statement on Tuesday, said it has been brought to its attention that some public passenger vehicle (PPV) operators have increased their fares and are overcharging passengers who use their services across the island.

The authority is warning operators involved in this practice to desist immediately.

Managing Director of the Transport Authority, Ralston Smith, is reminding PPV operators that charging commuters more than the approved fare is illegal and is warning that the authority will step up enforcement against this practice.

He is cautioning that operators found guilty of this offence will be prosecuted under regulation 129 (d) of the Road Traffic Regulations and may be fined up to $100,000 under section 107(3) of the Road Traffic Act if convicted for the offence.

The authority is urging commuters who experience acts of overcharging to call 876-618-0859 or WhatsApp images or videos to 876-551-8196 or 876-279-8515. Complaints about overcharging should include the licence plate numbers, the routes for the vehicles or the location of the incident. Commuters may also download the Drive Safe Jamaica and Travel Pal apps from the Google Play or App stores and submit images, videos or complaints on these portals.

In the meantime, the commuting public is reminded that one of the dangers of using unlicensed public passenger vehicles and hackney carriages operating as route taxis is that operators often charge exorbitant/unapproved fares.

The authority is therefore urging the commuting public to use licensed public transport vehicles which display red public passenger vehicle plates and the light blue Transport Authority sticker on the windshield with expiration dates of 2026 and beyond.