JUTA to launch express bus service for public commute

Ground transportation company JUTA Tours is starting an express bus service that will compete directly with luxury coach Knutsford Express, on the Kingston-Montego Bay route.

Details of the service are still being worked out, but it is expected to start before year-end. JUTA plans to do at least two trips per day from each city, using Chinese-made King Long buses.

“What we are offering is an express service to the travelling public,” said Noel Williams, president of the JUTA Kingston Chapter.

Short for Jamaica Union of Travelers Association, JUTA started in 1973 as a grouping of contract carriage operators and was registered as a company in 1974. The association operates as a domestic tour company and has eight chapters in Kingston, Mandeville, Port Antonio, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Falmouth, Negril, and Lucea.

Williams said initially the buses will make stops in Ocho Rios and Falmouth during the commutes between Kingston and Montego Bay, once the express service becomes operational.

“Our intention is to extend service to Negril and to the south coast, depending on demand,” he said.

The buses from Kingston will leave from JUTA’s depot at 4 Lady Musgrave Road, while the Montego Bay office is on Claude Clarke Avenue. He said a second location is being sought in Montego Bay.

“We are currently working on the locations, but we are hoping to start before the holiday season (December),” he said.

Oliver Townsend, CEO of Knutsford Express, offered no comment on the possible emergence of a direct competitor to his operation, which has providing passenger and courier service between the two cities for years.

As to the pricing of the JUTA service: “We are not promising that we’re going to be at the same price range as the current providers. We will be doing our thing differently. We will be offering the public comfortable transportation for which JUTA has been known for decades,” said Williams. He added that there will be several options for customers to purchase tickets, including through an app online, he added.

Initially 55-seater or 60-seater buses will be used, but also smaller Coaster buses would be utilised, depending on the take-up of the service, the marketing of which is currently being rolled out, locally and internationally, Williams said.

luke.douglas@gleanerjm.com