The long-awaited 50 new Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses that were stuck in Costa Rica due to cargo-related issues are finally en route to Jamaica, with hopes of arriving by the end of July or the first week in August.

Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications, and Transport Daryl Vaz said he received the update yesterday, July 25, and is hopeful that the buses will reach in time to help ease the back-to-school rush in September.

The buses were originally slated to arrive at the end of June, however, during an update from Vaz at a post-Cabinet press briefing on July 5, he said the buses encountered further delays and would arrive by mid-July. Now, after a string of delays, the transport minister is promising that the buses will arrive in August.

“They have left Cost Rica now, so I’m hoping to get an [estimated time of arrival] for the end of the month or first week of August. But they are back on the sea again after almost one month in Costa Rica,” he told Our Today.

He added that he is expecting another update on the buses before the week ends.

50 buses still not enough

Meanwhile, the Government is working to repair the old buses to join the fleet for back-to-school. Nearly US$400,000 has been earmarked to purchase spare parts for the repairs.

“We want to get to about 300 buses by September for back to school. We’re now at about 160, so we have a lot of work to do…50 buses will allow you to take some off the road and try and fix them, but it’s still not gonna do the trick. We still need more buses, so that’s what I’m working on now,” he shared with Our Today.

Additionally, Vaz has assured that the JUTC will have enough drivers for the new buses come September.

The new buses are comprised of 45 diesel and five electric units.