Erratic premium Route 320 service causing inconvenience to office-goers

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I am writing to bring to notice the continued failure to provide the Premium Route 320 bus service, which is scheduled to depart Cross Roads at 4:20 p.m. travel through New Kingston, Half-Way Tree, and onwards to Greater Portmore.

For approximately 10 months, this service has been extremely unreliable. The Route 320 bus only appears once or twice per week, if at all, despite passengers having paid for and relying on this premium service.

I recently raised this issue with a supervisor and was advised that the JUTC has been attempting to recruit 15 drivers since January but has been unsuccessful. I was also informed that drivers may choose which routes they wish to operate and that priority must be given to passengers travelling to rural areas. Additionally, I was told that passengers could use alternative routes such as:

Route 316 departing at 4:30 p.m. via Boulevard, Christian Pen, and Westchester to Greater Portmore; or Route 315 departing Old Hope Road at 5:10 p.m.

While I understand that staffing challenges may exist, these explanations do not adequately address the fact that Premium Route 320 passengers have paid for a specific service that is not being consistently provided. The suggested alternatives do not offer the same route, convenience, or departure time.

It is unfair for passengers to continually top up their SmartFare Cards and pay for a premium service that is unavailable most days. If the JUTC is unable to operate this route reliably, passengers deserve a clear explanation, a plan to restore the service, and consideration of appropriate compensation or fare adjustments.

I respectfully request an explanation for the prolonged disruption of Route 320 and what measures are being taken to restore regular service, as well as a timeline for when passengers can expect reliable daily operation of the route. There should also be consideration of compensation or other arrangements for affected premium passengers.

I look forward to receiving a prompt response to this matter from the JUTC.

SHANIQUE MCKENZIE