Park in Portmore, ride into Kingston - JUTC set to introduce commuting service

Chad Bryan, Gleaner Writer

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) is moving to introduce a park-and-ride (P and R) bus service to residents of Portmore, St Catherine. This is in an effort to boost revenue for the cash-strapped company, as well as allow commuters to save on transportation costs.

Chairman of the JUTC, Garnett Roper, recently announced that the service will begin in the coming weeks.

Park-and-ride services by train or bus are commonplace in some countries. Among them are Sri Lanka, England the United States and Canada.

"Park-and-ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus," explained Kirk Finnikin, deputy managing director, Operations, for JUTC.

"This concept is aimed at providing parking facilities with secured amenities for JUTC commuters in Portmore and its environs. It will provide all-day parking and exclusive transfers to JUTC buses on weekdays," he continued.

Finnikin explained, "The park-and-ride facility will be open during the hours of 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays only. No payment will be required to secure parking access to for the day and tickets given on the bus will be shown for the return leg back to the P and R location in the evening to maintain exclusivity."

Motorists are being assured that their vehicles will be safe at the parking facility.

It is hoped that with the implementation of this initiative, traffic congestion will be reduced, as will commuting costs for persons who normally drive to and from work between Portmore and Kingston.