OPPOSITION spokesman on transport Mikael Phillips has declared that the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) is in its “most pathetic state” since its creation, warning that the State-run bus company has spent the last decade “languishing in the hospital’s accident and emergency department” amid mounting losses and policy neglect.

Making his contribution to the sectoral debate in the House of Representatives, Phillips accused the Government of allowing the country’s main public bus operator to drift deeper into financial and operational crisis despite billions of dollars in subsidies and the acquisition of hundreds of new buses.

“They have called on a carpenter to examine the patient, when what is truly required is oxygen and a skilled physician to diagnose the ailment and prescribe the cure,” Phillips said.

He argued that the company’s financial position had deteriorated sharply under the current Administration.

“The financial wreckage is undeniable. The JUTC has incurred cumulative losses of more than $100 billion over the last decade. A staggering $14.8-billion loss is projected for this financial year alone, with the entity remaining operational only through a $11-billion government grant,” he said.

Phillips also argued that, despite the purchase of more than 250 new buses in recent years, the company’s core performance indicators remained weak. He also questioned rising maintenance and fuel costs within the company, particularly given that a large portion of the fleet now consists of compressed natural gas and electric buses.

Phillips additionally criticised the JUTC’s expansion into rural routes, saying the move had triggered growing tension between the State-run company and private transport operators.

The Opposition spokesman argued that the worsening crisis reflected the absence of a coherent national transport policy and warned that continued delays in reform would further weaken public transportation across the island.