Rural bus operators threaten withdrawal of service

There could be major disruptions to the transportation sector today, as rural transport operators have threatened to withdraw their service.

The operators, who are members of the Rural Urban Transport Association, RUTA, are up in arms over the decision of the Transport Authority to block rural carriage operators from picking up passengers in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region, KMTR.

They have received strong support from other transport lobby groups such as JATOO, WTA, Intercity Transport, NATO, and TODSS, which are also disgruntled about new regulations introduced by the government in the KMTR.

A meeting yesterday between the transport authority and the rural bus operators to discuss the regulation, ended without a resolution. President of the Rural Urban Transport Association, RUTA, Henry Marshall, says the new regulation will put most of its 600 members out of business.