Durrant Pate/Contributor

The government has yielded to opposition pressure and ordered a forensic audit of the problem-plagued Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), as the State seeks to have a more efficient and sustainable public bus company.

Transport Minister Daryl Vaz, who made the announcement in Parliament on Tuesday remarked, “We have heard the calls for accountability, we have seen some of the evidence, as such, the ministry is taking the requisite steps to have a forensic audit of the entity  undertaken this year, as we seek to have a more efficient and sustainable operation of the JUTC.”

Ever since its establishment in 1999, the JUTC has been plagued with problems from financial challenges, theft and pilferage to allegations of corruption and nepotism. However, Vaz cited several positive developments, including its fleet modernisation and reduced reliance on costly carbon-intensive diesel fuel.

Composition of JUTC fleet

Making his contribution to 2025-26 Sectoral Debate presentation, Vaz pointed to the 250 buses deployed daily by the JUTC, comprising:

• 127 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses

• Six battery-electric buses (BEB) and

• One range-extender electric vehicle (RE-EV)

This means that 53.6 per cent of JUTC’s operable fleet now runs on cleaner, low-emission technologies. This shift, which began in earnest in September 2024, the transport minister reported, has yielded significant cost savings and environmental benefits, lowering carbon emissions in alignment with Jamaica’s broader sustainability goals. 

The average monthly fuel cost per diesel bus is J$1.07 million, compared to J$350,000 per CNG bus. As more CNG buses were integrated, the average fuel cost per bus fell from J$660,000 in October 2024 to J$520,000 by April 2025. 

The total savings over the seven-month period of over J$485 million spent on diesel versus J$301 million on CNG, which clearly demonstrates the cost advantage of clean fuel technologies.

Reducing operational costs 

In addition, steps are not only being taken to reduce operational costs, but in a bid to protect company assets, a joint operation between the JUTC and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has led to multiple arrests and seizures, which have resulted in tangible outcomes.

These include a significant reduction in fuel deliveries to the Spanish Town Depot following the January crackdown. Fuel loads fell from eight loads (254,576 litres) in December 2024, and seven loads (222,754 litres) in January 202, to just one load (31,822 litres) in February 2025. 

Minister Vaz told the parliament that since then, deliveries have stabilised at four loads (127,288 litres) per month in March and April 2025. This is attributable directly to the disruption of theft operations. This, he said, is a saving for the JUTC, and by extension, the government of over J$26 million.