JPS mobile office to start operating in Hanover soon

Western Bureau:

With complaints mounting, especially from senior citizens and physically challenged persons, the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) is poised to relaunch a mobile office in Hanover to compensate for the closure of its office, which was located in Lucea.

The announcement was made during the first in a series of virtual community meetings, which the JPS staged on Thursday, at which executives of the utility company interacted with residents of Hanover. During the session, Leroy Reid, director of customer solutions, stated that the company has transformed itself into a modern and more flexible organisation, which is more considerate of customers’ needs.

The virtual session was also used to promote the availability of a JPS mobile application, which gives users several options of communicating with the electricity supplier, as well as to transact business from the comfort of their homes.

“You would have heard us today say that we are going to relaunch mobile offices, starting with the parish of Hanover, in recognition of the challenges that the aged and the vulnerable, and those who do not have intimate access are experiencing,” said Reid. “So, we are going to relaunch, starting in March, mobile office services, starting in Hanover. A schedule for the rest of the country will be released at a later point in time.”

It was explained that the services that will be offered within the mobile office would be similar to the services that were received in the previous Lucea office. It was also stated that customers could contact the company and make recommendations as to the likely locations where the mobile offices would best serve them.

In regard to the virtual engagement with the Hanover residents, during which several concerns alongside recommendations were made, Reid said the visit to the western parish will not be a one-shot, one-off initiative.

“This is how we are going to work going forward; meeting customers where they are, at their convenience,” stated Reid.

Hanover Custos Dr David Stair, who was a participant in the virtual session, said Internet connectivity is not common across Jamaica, noting that the JPS and other companies seem not to be fully cognisant of the fact that a wide cross section of the Jamaican society are technology deficient, making it difficult for many persons to meet their responsibility as it relates to paying their utility bills.

In recent times, the JPS has closed offices in Hanover, Trelawny, and Portland. Plans are reportedly afoot to close offices in other parishes as well.