Old Harbour transport operator points to struggle with JUTC competition

For Mr. Allen, a resident of Marlie Mount and a transport operator of two decades, owning a home is a dream that cannot come soon enough. Currently plying the Old Harbour to Longville Park route, his venture has served him well over the years, enabling his family to qualify for a National Housing Trust (NHT) loan. Today, every effort is geared toward accomplishing this dream. However, an opposing force is causing him great angst and threatening to derail those plans.

In the last year, the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) has deployed several buses to Longville Park, moving commuters to Spanish Town and Kingston via Old Harbour. Since the deployment, Allen says there has been a significant fall in revenue for private transport operators like himself working the same route.

“With a taxi, you can carry home all $35,000 a week, but with the buses competing, you are fighting to carry home half of that now,” he said in an exclusive interview with Old Harbour News.

“The playing field is not balanced. [The JUTC] put about five buses over there now. Some go to Kingston and I think one goes to Spanish Town. One of the buses carries about 50-something seated, and standees you have about another 20 or so. So, any given day when those buses pull up, they are moving over 250 persons, close to 300. So, what you find now is that taxi operators who have to pay road licence find it hard to survive.”

The current fare structure sees taxis charging $170 from Longville Park to Old Harbour, while commuters utilizing the JUTC premium service pay $320. Despite the higher fare for the bus, Allen argues that the capacity and frequency of the state-owned fleet are overwhelming the market.

“You basically a ambush wi,” Allen said in his sharp critique of the state-owned bus company’s strategy. “So we can’t find anybody to carry because everybody gone with the bus. Who no gone with the bus a wait on the next bus. We are basically suffering because we can’t find anybody to carry.”

JUTC Responds to Claims

Old Harbour News reached out to the JUTC for a comment. A customer care representative stated that there are three buses assigned to the Longville Park route, challenging Allen’s claim on the total number of buses.

Allen maintains there are more than three buses assigned and would like to see a withdrawal of the buses or a reduction in their numbers on the route. However, that is an appeal likely to be rebuffed by commuters who benefit from the service.

A Ripple Effect on Compliance and Livelihoods

Allen foresees further challenges on the horizon, particularly with tax authorities for individual transport operators who file annual returns to remain compliant. He argues that the drastic reduction in revenue could trigger audits, which may force some operators to go underground as "robots" — a term used for unlicensed public passenger vehicles.

“Now I’m saying the government is there to represent the people… you can’t please one side and displease the other,” Allen lamented. “So, at the end of the day one side of people gone home smiling because they get a reduce fare, less than half what the taxi is charging, but taxi man naah carry home nothing.”

He also contends that taxi operators on the Old Harbour to Spanish Town route are severely impacted following the addition of two JUTC buses on that corridor.

“Old Harbour to Spanish Town is basically $250 on taxi, [private bus] is $200… you send a big JUTC bus and saying ‘unu come, come, come, over here, $50! (with a smart card). So, you a call weh taxi man passenger and you a call weh bus man passenger… so how are they going to feed their families? How are they going to survive?”

Allen is also questioning the rationale behind the JUTC’s business model, specifically its ability to charge such low fares given the realities of the local economy and global oil prices.

It has been widely reported that the JUTC remains a perennial drain on the public purse. As of February 2026, the company is projected to record operating losses in the billions of Jamaican dollars before receiving government assistance, reinforcing its status as a subsidized public service rather than a profitable enterprise.

Despite its critical role in moving the nation’s workforce and students, the JUTC has a long history of financial instability. Reports indicate that deficits are expected to surpass J$4 billion in the current 2025-2026 fiscal year. The company’s cost structure, particularly fuel and staff wages, remains the primary obstacle to profitability, far outstripping revenue collected from fares.

To prevent a collapse of public transportation, the Jamaican government continues to inject massive subsidies into the entity. For the upcoming 2026-2027 fiscal year, the government has reportedly allocated a J$3 billion subsidy to keep the buses running. These annual bailouts highlight the delicate balance between maintaining affordable transit and managing the fiscal burden on the state.

This subsidized approach by the JUTC is causing private operators to operate at a loss, Allen said.

“The road licence is about $10,500 and you have to pay about $6,000 for the taxi association fee,” he explained, while alluding to other operational expenses like quarterly and monthly maintenance. “For those of us with comprehensive insurance it goes from $200,000 upwards to over $300,000. So, you basically a struggle to pay insurance and a struggle to bring home something to feed your family. We basically operating at a loss because JUTC drop its fare to such a ridiculous rate whereby you can’t compete with them.”

Association Response

The issue was put to the Old Harbour Taxi Association, but a representative who did not want to be identified stated they were hearing of such a complaint for the first time. The individual noted that the JUTC buses operate on a specific schedule, primarily during peak traffic when the demand for public transportation is at its highest.

For Allen, however, the reality on the ground is stark. With his main goal of moving into his new home in the coming months now seeming uncertain, he is contemplating other options but remains clear on what he expects from the state.