Minister of Transport Daryl Vaz has announced plans to expand the operations of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) to Williamsfield in Manchester and Albion, St Thomas.

He said the expansion is needed as the country continues to build out its infrastructure, requiring a greater need for easier access to public transportation.

“We are looking at JUTC in relation to expanding their routes to Williamsfield and to Albion in St Thomas and also opening up the routes for larger buses, privately owned that can be licensed so we can take the school children, and of course commuters easily,” said Vaz.

He was speaking at the opening of the May Pen to Williamsfield leg of Highway 2000 on Thursday.

The transport minister also announced that the JUTC will continue to modernise its fleet of buses with the arrival of six new buses in October. He shared that an additional 14 buses will also arrive in January next year.

Fifty new buses arrived in late August after several months of delays. The buses, comprising 45 diesel and five electric, were procured to cater to the back-to-school rush.

Vaz said the new buses have been operating effectively and have significantly reduced wait times for commuters. He also shared that he is in dialogue with Finance Minister Nigel Clarke to procure more buses and expand the fleet.