JUTA chief brands North-South toll hike highway robbery as operators demand Government talks

Noel Williams, president of the Kingston Chapter of the Jamaica Union of Travellers Association (JUTA) Tours, has labelled the coming rise in toll charges as “highway robbery”, warning that the hike threatens the viability of transport businesses. The planned adjustment sparked renewed appeals on Monday for State intervention.

Representatives of JUTA, working with Jamaica Cooperative Automobile & Limousine (JCAL) Tours Limited and other transport bodies, assembled at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Monday. They sought a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Transport and the Toll Authority of Jamaica to raise urgent grievances. Williams said both agencies had been invited, yet none of their officers appeared. He told the Jamaica Observer that their absence signalled how lightly transport operators are regarded.

“We are saying to the Government and the Toll Authority, that we cannot any longer absorb this toll increase, because we are of the opinion that this is the most expensive toll anywhere in the world,” Williams said. He added that many operators already struggle to meet existing charges for some vehicle classes and cannot withstand a further rise.

Revised tolls for users of the North-South Highway are due to apply at month’s end. Under the published proposals, Class 1 vehicles would face a capped fee of $2,610 in each direction; Class 2 operators would pay $5,220 one way; and Class 3 vehicles, including bigger trucks, would be charged $7,830.

Williams urged that the increase be deferred for 12 months so stakeholders can consult properly.

“I think this is highway robbery by the Toll Authority, and the Government sits there completely complacent and they do nothing about it. With that said, we are asking the Government to have dialogue with the Toll Authority. We are having a serious issue already with what we are paying for one coaster bus to go from Kingston to St Ann and back. One round trip [now] costs bus operators $15,000. We will be asked to pay $15,680 when the new rate is introduced. If we are to do that, then we have to keep on passing on these increases to the passengers, who already have been complaining about what we are charging now,” he said.

According to Williams, repeated correspondence to decision-makers has gone unanswered. He also accused certain Toll Authority officials of treating operators with open disrespect.

“We sent letters to the Toll Authority about another bus we have in the system, which is the new type of Hiace bus. It has a longer front than the older one, and hence when these buses go to the toll, they have to pay the same money as what the coaster pays,” he said. “And when you question it, they are telling you that it’s because of the length of the bus. Nothing is put in place to accommodate the service that we provide in terms of transportation. And also the toll road barely has any lights. With all of this, we have to be paying so much money…

“We are definitely calling on the Government to sit and have a look at the situation and to renegotiate the contract so as to benefit the Jamaican people. A lot more people would use the toll as well, if it was much cheaper, but these people are just thinking about collecting money… they’re not thinking about us.”

Williams said drivers who try to avoid the highway between Kingston and St Ann are blocked by the poor state of the parallel roads, and he pressed the Government to rehabilitate those corridors.

“Right now, I believe it is a breach of people’s constitutional rights because they have been literally forced to use the toll, which is costly. The original roads are there, but they are not comfortable for people to drive on.”

Also at the gathering was Lorraine “Oscar” Finnikin, president of the All Voice Taxi Association, who said he came to stand with Williams.

“They have tried their best over the years to not pass on the cost to their passengers but as it is now, they don’t have any choice,” he said. “There are a lot of overhead expenses facing the public passenger vehicle sector. One is the cost of gas due to the situation in the Middle East, then there are overall expenses through maintenance, operational costs and service parts. With the increase in the toll fees, it has reached a stage where it is just too much for the sector to bear anymore.”

In a statement issued last Thursday, Transport Minister Daryl Vaz recognised motorists’ unease but argued that the disputed rates stem from a poorly structured toll arrangement struck by the previous People’s National Party Administration, one that, he said, offers Jamaicans no real gain. Vaz noted that the pact constrains this and succeeding administrations, while confirming that the Government is seeking talks aimed at a fairer, more affordable charge for the public.

“However, the binding agreement entered by the former administration has put us in a position where the concessionaire has to agree to whatever we suggest in order for it to be implemented,” Vaz said. He dismissed as unworkable proposals that the State buy out the toll operators simply to stop the continuing escalations.

The Concession Agreement covering the North-South Highway from Caymanas to Ocho Rios was signed in June 2012 under a 50-year Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer deal.