“HIGHWAY robbery” is how Noel Williams, president of the Kingston Chapter of Jamaica Union of Travellers Association (JUTA) Tours, has described the impending toll road rate increases, which transport operators fear could impact their operations. The increases prompted more calls on Monday for the Government to step in.

JUTA representatives, in collaboration with Jamaica Cooperative Automobile & Limousine (JCAL) Tours Limited and other transport organisations, gathered at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston for a meeting on Monday, hoping to get an audience with representatives of the Ministry of Transport and the Toll Authority of Jamaica to share pressing concerns.

But despite being invited, according to Williams, there were no representatives from either group.

Williams told the Jamaica Observer that their no-show was a clear indication of the scant regard which they have for transport operators.

“We are saying to the Government and the Toll Authority, that we cannot any longer absorb this toll increase, because we are of the opinion that this is the most expensive toll anywhere in the world,” Williams said, expressing that many operators already find it difficult to pay fees for certain categories of vehicles on the toll and cannot manage any upward adjustment at this time.

The new toll fees, to affect motorists using the North-South Highway, are expected to take effect at the end of the month.

New toll fees affecting motorists using the North-South Highway are expected to take effect at the end of the month.

The Government has published the proposed new rates with a capped toll of $2,610 each way for Class 1 vehicles. Operators of Class 2 vehicles would pay $5,220 one way, while the proposed toll for Class 3 vehicles, including larger trucks, is $7,830.

Williams recommended that the move be put on pause for a year, to allow for consultation among stakeholders.

“I think this is highway robbery by the Toll Authority, and the Government sits there completely complacent and they do nothing about it. With that said, we are asking the Government to have dialogue with the Toll Authority. We are having a serious issue already with what we are paying for one coaster bus to go from Kingston to St Ann and back. One round trip [now] costs bus operators $15,000. We will be asked to pay $15,680 when the new rate is introduced. If we are to do that, then we have to keep on passing on these increases to the passengers, who already have been complaining about what we are charging now,” he said.

The president said that numerous letters have been written to policymakers, but they have never responded.

He specifically referred to some representatives of the Toll Authority as being very disrespectful.

“We sent letters to the Toll Authority about another bus we have in the system, which is the new type of Hiace bus. It has a longer front than the older one, and hence when these buses go to the toll, they have to pay the same money as what the coaster pays,” he said.

“And when you question it, they are telling you that it’s because of the length of the bus. Nothing is put in place to accommodate the service that we provide in terms of transportation. And also the toll road barely has any lights. With all of this, we have to be paying so much money…

“We are definitely calling on the Government to sit and have a look at the situation and to renegotiate the contract so as to benefit the Jamaican people. A lot more people would use the toll as well, if it was much cheaper, but these people are just thinking about collecting money… they’re not thinking about us.“

Williams lamented that those operators who opt to take the alternative route from Kingston to St Ann cannot do so because those roads are deplorable. He appealed to the Government to have these alternative routes fixed.

“Right now, I believe it is a breach of people’s constitutional rights because they have been literally forced to use the toll, which is costly. The original roads are there, but they are not comfortable for people to drive on.

Meanwhile, Lorraine “Oscar” Finnikin, president of the All Voice Taxi Association, was among transport association heads present at the meeting.

File photo showing motorists traversing a section of the North-South Highway, which links Kingston to St Ann.

He told the Observer that he attended to show solidarity with the JUTA president.

“They have tried their best over the years to not pass on the cost to their passengers but as it is now, they don’t have any choice,” he said.

“There are a lot of overhead expenses facing the public passenger vehicle sector. One is the cost of gas due to the situation in the Middle East, then there are overall expenses through maintenance, operational costs and service parts. With the increase in the toll fees, it has reached a stage where it is just too much for the sector to bear anymore.”

In a statement last Thursday, Minister of Transport Daryl Vaz acknowledged the concerns expressed by motorists, but explained that the concerning toll rates were yet another example of the former People’s National Party Administration entering into a less than favourable toll deal, which does not yield any tangible advantages for the Jamaican populace.

Vaz said the toll agreement binds current and future governments to its terms, but said the Government was moving to have discussions towards arriving at a more favourable and affordable toll cost for Jamaicans.

“However, the binding agreement entered by the former administration has put us in a position where the concessionaire has to agree to whatever we suggest in order for it to be implemented,” Vaz said.

He also said suggestions that Government pay off the toll operators in an effort to discontinue the unsustainable rise in rates, were impractical.

The Concession Agreement for the North-South Highway (Caymanas to Ocho Rios) was executed in June 2012 under a 50-year Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer arrangement.