Dear Editor,
The Jamaica Association of Transport Owners and Operators (JATOO) has seen media reports stating that it is in agreement with the removal of Colin Campbell as managing director of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC). For the record, we would like to let it be known that we are looking at a bigger picture, and so Campbell’s termination or not becomes a non-issue, as his replacement is a continuation of the tried and failed system.
Campbell, with the approval of the former minister of transport, effectively shut down the passenger transport business of over 200 Coaster and Hiace buses in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region. This is approximately 800 direct low-skill jobs that were lost. In addition, these 200 vehicles are now unemployed and have very little value as not many people want to invest in a business that the Government is able to manipulate at will. JATOO and other operators will not forget the callous manner in which this policy was implemented by Campbell.
The rumoured termination of Campbell would be a political act, just as many believe his employment was a political act.
The public passenger transportation business is an extremely critical operation. When political machinations are introduced into the sector, we then become extremely susceptible to corrupt practices and cronyism. No business can operate efficiently in such an environment.
We want this new Administration to know that political appointments at all senior management level in the Transport Authority and at the JUTC only reinforce the low level of indiscipline that we see on the road with public passengers vehicle operators. JATOO and the Jamaican public is demanding improvement, and this can be had by ridding ourselves of these political appointments.
JATOO recommends the following:
1. Develop and implement immediately, and as priority, a national plan for the development of public passenger transportation.
2. This plan must be part of Minister Mike Henry’s much-touted multi-modal plan.
3. This plan must have effective input from both the investors/operators and the travelling public.
4. The managing directors of both the JUTC and the Transport Authority must be transportation professionals with wide-ranging knowledge and/or experience in public passenger transportation in developed or developing countries. These people, appointed by Parliament, can be terminated only by proven gross violations of their duties by Parliament.
The rumoured replacement of Campbell with Sharon Hay-Webster, or any other politically aligned person, is just a continuation of the same old politics which have not improved the transportation business for the owners and operators of vehicles nor for the passengers over these years.
Louis Barton
President
Jamaica Association of Transport
Owners and Operators
jatoojamaica@gmail.com
The Jamaica Association of Transport Owners and Operators (JATOO) has seen media reports stating that it is in agreement with the removal of Colin Campbell as managing director of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC). For the record, we would like to let it be known that we are looking at a bigger picture, and so Campbell’s termination or not becomes a non-issue, as his replacement is a continuation of the tried and failed system.
Campbell, with the approval of the former minister of transport, effectively shut down the passenger transport business of over 200 Coaster and Hiace buses in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region. This is approximately 800 direct low-skill jobs that were lost. In addition, these 200 vehicles are now unemployed and have very little value as not many people want to invest in a business that the Government is able to manipulate at will. JATOO and other operators will not forget the callous manner in which this policy was implemented by Campbell.
The rumoured termination of Campbell would be a political act, just as many believe his employment was a political act.
The public passenger transportation business is an extremely critical operation. When political machinations are introduced into the sector, we then become extremely susceptible to corrupt practices and cronyism. No business can operate efficiently in such an environment.
We want this new Administration to know that political appointments at all senior management level in the Transport Authority and at the JUTC only reinforce the low level of indiscipline that we see on the road with public passengers vehicle operators. JATOO and the Jamaican public is demanding improvement, and this can be had by ridding ourselves of these political appointments.
JATOO recommends the following:
1. Develop and implement immediately, and as priority, a national plan for the development of public passenger transportation.
2. This plan must be part of Minister Mike Henry’s much-touted multi-modal plan.
3. This plan must have effective input from both the investors/operators and the travelling public.
4. The managing directors of both the JUTC and the Transport Authority must be transportation professionals with wide-ranging knowledge and/or experience in public passenger transportation in developed or developing countries. These people, appointed by Parliament, can be terminated only by proven gross violations of their duties by Parliament.
The rumoured replacement of Campbell with Sharon Hay-Webster, or any other politically aligned person, is just a continuation of the same old politics which have not improved the transportation business for the owners and operators of vehicles nor for the passengers over these years.
Louis Barton
President
Jamaica Association of Transport
Owners and Operators
jatoojamaica@gmail.com