Caribbean News

JUTC GETS 93 NEW BUSES

Published

3 months ago

July 16, 2025

Kingston, Jamaica, July 16, 2025(JIS) – The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) fleet of vehicles has been bolstered with the addition of 93 new buses. The units, which comprise 63 compressed natural gas (CNG) and 30 diesel coach buses, were officially handed over at the JUTC’s Portmore Bus Depo in Braeton, St Catherine on Wednesday (July 16). The new vehicles represent phase two of the Government’s initiative to provide 300 new buses to the State-owned company over three years as part of efforts to create a modern, reliable, and inclusive transport system. The first 100 were delivered in July 2024.

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, in his address at the handover ceremony, highlighted the benefits the additional buses will bring to the commuting public, and the country’s wider economy.

“The investment in new buses and in trying to create a world-class transportation system… is about setting the framework for growth for everyone. It’s about making our economy more efficient so that everyone who has to use public transportation can be more productive in their personal or work endeavours,” he added.

The Prime Minister said that the country’s economic stability allowed the Government to invest in the transport sector and purchase the 93 buses at a cost of $2.35 billion.

“We have achieved economic stability through good fiscal management and through institutional strengthening and development. The investments that we are making in public transportation are designed to improve the comfort and convenience of the travelling public; they are designed to improve the affordability,” he pointed out.

Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Hon. Daryl Vaz, in his remarks, pledged that with the latest injection of buses, the JUTC’s services will be drastically improved.

“Today is not just a handover ceremony; it’s a milestone, a step forward in our national journey to deliver public transportation that works for all Jamaicans. It’s not a symbolic gesture but a bold signal that the Government is delivering safer, cleaner and more efficient transport options for Jamaicans,” Minister Vaz declared.

He informed that since the Ministry began expanding the JUTC fleet with 70 buses in 2023 and 100 CNG buses in 2024, service delivery across the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR) was significantly improved, resulting in an increase in revenue from passenger and charter trips.

The Minister noted that the JUTC’s daily deployment includes 110 CNG buses, six battery electric buses and one range extender electric vehicle, resulting in a reduction in carbon emissions. “This means 53.6 per cent of JUTC’s operable fleet now runs on cleaner, lower emission technologies. This shift, which began in earnest in September 2024 has yielded significant cost savings and environmental benefits, lowering carbon emissions in alignment with Jamaica’s broader sustainable goals,” Minister Vaz noted.

The CNG buses handed over today will be deployed on routes served by the Spanish Town depo, while the diesel coach buses will serve the current premium bus routes, and the planned long-haul express routes from the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre to various parish capitals.

An additional seven buses, which are being manufactured to accommodate commuters with special needs, are expected to arrive in the island by August 2025.

CONTACT: VANESSA JAMES

Photo Caption:

Header: Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (left) converses with Jodi-Ann Baker (seated, centre), a commuter with special needs, during the handover of 93 buses to the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) at the Portmore JUTC bus depo in Braeton, St. Catherine, on Wednesday (July 16). They are joined by Member of Parliament for Portland Eastern, Ann-Marie Vaz; Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Hon. Daryl Vaz; State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Member of Parliament for East Central St. Catherine, Hon. Alando Terrelonge; and Golden Age Home nurse aide, Everton Watt.

1st insert: Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, looks at the street scene in Spanish Town while travelling on one of the 93 new buses handed over to the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) at the Portmore bus depo in St. Catherine on Wednesday (July 16).

2nd insert: Several of the 93 buses handed over to the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) at the Portmore JUTC bus depo in Braeton, St. Catherine, on Wednesday (July 16).

Photo Credit: Rudranath Fraser and Donald De La Haye

Related Topics:#JamaicaUrbanTransitCompany #JUTC #magneticmedianews

Up Next

Barbados to Host CTO’s 2025 State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC)

Don't Miss

$350 Million to Mitigate Drought Conditions Across Jamaica

Deandrea Hamilton

Caribbean News

Guyanese Scholar and Olympian Arrested in Iowa ICE Crackdown

Published

4 days ago

September 27, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

September 27, 2025 – In a shocking breach of public trust and institutional oversight, Ian Andre Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, who is a citizen of Guyana, was arrested on September 26 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under a string of serious offenses that raise troubling questions about hiring practices, accountability, and public safety.

Roberts, born in Georgetown, Guyana, is a former Olympian and accomplished scholar. According to online reports, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Coppin State University after transferring from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, where he played soccer. He holds two master’s degrees—from St. John’s University and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business—attended an Executive MBA program at MIT Sloan School of Management and earned a doctorate in education with a focus on urban educational leadership from Trident University.

Despite these accomplishments, Roberts was living and working without legal authorization. ICE reported that he fled a traffic stop and abandoned his school-issued vehicle. At the time of his arrest, he was reportedly in possession of a loaded handgun, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash. He also has a prior weapons-related charge.

ICE officials questioned how Roberts could hold such a prominent role while subject to a final deportation order issued in May 2024. The school district said they were unaware of his immigration status, noting that he had undergone background checks and completed an I-9 form confirming work authorization. Roberts was placed on administrative leave pending further investigation.

This case highlights vulnerabilities in systems meant to safeguard public institutions and underscores the challenges ICE faces in identifying individuals operating outside U.S. immigration laws while in positions of authority.

For many, Roberts has become a near-literal poster child for these enforcement gaps.

Caribbean News

Bermuda Shaken by Targeted Murder as Crime Returns After a Decade of Calm

Published

2 weeks ago

September 21, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

Bermuda is reeling after the brazen murder of 37-year-old Janae Minors, a mother of two, who was gunned down in her own beauty supply store on Court Street, Pembroke. The attack, which police describe as “targeted,” has rattled the island, not only for its brutality but for what it says about the state of law and order in a country that less than a decade ago was celebrating a dramatic fall in violent crime.

The Attack on Court Street

According to police, at approximately 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, September 16, a lone gunman pulled up on a stolen black motorcycle, walked into the Beauty Monster shop Minors owned, and shot her multiple times. Despite the rapid response of emergency services, she succumbed to her injuries shortly after being transported to hospital.

Detectives say the killer was thin, tall, dressed in dark clothing with a full-face helmet, and wearing bright gloves. CCTV shows him fleeing north on Court Street, down Tills Hill toward TCD, before turning onto Marsh Folly Road. Investigators are pursuing all leads, with a focus on recovering evidence from nearby cameras and eyewitness accounts.

Police Commissioner Darrin Simons confirmed the attack bore the hallmarks of gang-related violence, a chilling indicator that Bermuda’s gang rivalries — long simmering beneath the surface — may once again be spilling into broad daylight.

A Vibrant Life Cut Short

Minors, remembered as a hardworking entrepreneur with “a vibrant, beautiful personality,” leaves behind two children, ages 16 and 18. Her murder has ignited outrage across Bermuda, not just for its senselessness but for its timing: the island had once prided itself on virtually stamping out gun violence.

Then: Near-Zero Murders

Back in 2014, Bermuda made international headlines for reporting zero firearm murders — a remarkable achievement given the small island had endured a spate of gang-related shootings in the early 2010s. Police credited intelligence-led operations, tighter firearms interdictions, and aggressive prosecutions of gang leaders. Community programs and mentoring initiatives also played a role, giving at-risk youth alternatives to gang life.

By 2015 and 2016, gun crime was at historic lows. That period was hailed as proof Bermuda could beat back the tide of violence with coordinated policing, social investment, and political will.

Now: Alarming Resurgence

Fast forward nine years, and the picture looks starkly different. In 2024 and 2025, Bermuda has recorded a rise in gun-related deaths. Rival gangs such as Parkside and 42 have resurged, fueled by a new generation of recruits. Economic pressures, high youth unemployment, and the easy flow of smuggled firearms through maritime routes have undermined earlier gains.

Community trust in the police has also eroded, making investigations harder and retaliations more likely. Opposition MPs and neighborhood leaders warn that without sustained focus, Bermuda risks sliding back into the violent cycles of the early 2010s.

Public Alarm and Political Pressure

Premier David Burt condemned Minors’ killing as “an escalation of community violence that cannot be tolerated,” promising stronger enforcement and deeper engagement with residents. The Bermuda Police Service has appealed for CCTV, dashcam, and doorbell footage from the area, urging residents that even the smallest detail could break the case.

Yet among the public, frustration is growing. People remember the calm of 2014 — when zero murders were recorded — and cannot understand how the island has returned to headlines dominated by gun violence. The contrast is stark: from celebrating the elimination of gun murders to confronting the targeted execution of a businesswoman in broad daylight.

A Test for Bermuda’s Future

The murder of Janae Minors has become more than a single case; it is now a symbol of Bermuda’s struggle to hold on to the progress it once made. The question facing the island is whether the successes of a decade ago can be replicated and sustained in today’s harsher climate of economic pressure and gang rivalries.

For Minors’ family, nothing can erase the tragedy of losing a mother and daughter so violently. But for Bermuda at large, her death is a wake-up call — that the island cannot afford complacency when it comes to crime.

As one community leader put it: “Nine years ago, we had beaten this. Now, we’re back to fearing what happens when the sun goes down. That is not the Bermuda we want to live in.”

Caribbean News

CARICOM-Africa Summit Yields Draft Pact on Trade, Travel and Reparations

Published

2 weeks ago

September 19, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

Imagine an Atlantic Bridge connecting the Caribbean Region to the African Continent

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — When CARICOM leaders convened with African counterparts and Afreximbank officials in Ethiopia, the outcomes were savory and exactly what many Caribbean people want to see materialise as the islands become uniquely reconnected to the African continent.

At the Second CARICOM-Africa Summit, held at the African Union headquarters, leaders moved beyond symbolic language to agree on a draft communiqué that, if finalized, would anchor this partnership in practical action. While not yet officially published by the AU or CARICOM, the document points to an agenda that blends history with urgent twenty-first century priorities.

The draft outlines commitments to improve air and sea transport links, including the pursuit of a multilateral air services agreement to break down the barriers that still keep the Caribbean and Africa physically apart. It also calls for visa facilitation and simplified entry regimes, making it easier for citizens of both regions to travel, study, and work across the Atlantic.

Equally significant are pledges to advance double taxation treaties that could remove one of the most stubborn obstacles to investment. With Afreximbank’s Caribbean headquarters already established in Barbados and the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) gaining momentum, leaders now want to lock in the financial and legal frameworks that will drive new business.

Reparatory justice also featured prominently, with the draft communiqué sharpening a joint call for coordinated advocacy. CARICOM’s long-standing Reparations Commission is expected to work more closely with African institutions to demand global recognition and redress for the shared traumas of slavery and colonial exploitation.

CARICOM’s incoming chair, Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew of St. Kitts and Nevis, captured the spirit of the gathering when he urged that the Atlantic Slave Trade be reimagined as an “Atlantic Bridge — a bridge of hope, a bridge of advancement, a bridge that will ensure our people take their rightful place in this world.”

For Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett, the meeting was a “homecoming,” but also a reminder that concrete steps like the Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean (HeDPAC) and improved transportation links are needed to transform rhetoric into results.

For citizens back home, wrestling with inflation and economic uncertainty, the Addis outcomes — transport, visas, investment, health, and reparations — are precisely the kinds of measures that can validate leaders’ journeys and rekindle faith in South-South cooperation. What was once only rhetoric now hints at the beams of an Atlantic Bridge, connecting the Caribbean and Africa in ways that could finally turn history’s tragedy into tomorrow’s advantage.