Bus fares on JUTC buses are going DOWN! 

Yup, you heard that right, bus fares are actually going down! It feels like opposite day or something.

Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke announced recently that the government will be increasing its subsidy to the Jamaican Urban Transit Company, JUTC, to facilitate a decrease in fares.

The Minister said that beginning January 1, adult passenger fares will drop from $100 to $70. Students will pay $25 instead of $30 and pensioners will pay $30 instead of $40.

It’s a pretty impressive drop, especially when you consider that most prices are going up. But that’s actually why the government is intervening this way.

In their approval of the move, the Bank of Jamaica said that the lower bus fares will help balance out inflation, given that taxi and minibus operators were recently granted an increase.

See transportation is one of the main drivers behind inflation, next to food. And despite October’s inflation falling to 5.1% the lowest since 2021, the BOJ predicted another increase, as high as 7%, mainly driven by the increase in public passenger fares. 

So the hope is that this decrease will entice commuters to use JUTC, ease some of the pressure on commuters and keep inflation in check.

The Government said JUTC will receive an extra billion dollars over a 15-month period from January 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025. The fare reduction goes into effect on January 1… and that’s the bottom line.