Transport Minister Robert Montague says of a next April, the Transport Authority will offer four year licenses, with the option to pay annually.
He says this will help operators to secure longer term financing from financial institutions, which will facilitate operators who want to retool or upgrade their fleet.
Mr Montague met recently with transport owners and operators from the western region and discussed issues being faced in the transport industry.
Representatives from various transport groups, including JUTA, JCAL, and Maxi Tours met with the minister in Montego Bay.
Key among the discussions was the issue of vehicles which operate as public transport being fitted with tracking devices.
The new policy requires all vehicles in the sector to be fitted with a tracker by 1 April 2020. However first time applicants must be fitted with a tracker starting immediately.
The owner will not be required to provide the constant feed to the transport
Authority, but must make the information available to the transport authority, police or any other authorized body if needed. The owner is required to keep the feed for 30 days.
The Transport Minister specified that persons, who have been legitimate in the industry for an extended period of time, should be allowed certain benefits such as easier renewal of licenses and badges.
Mr. Montague outlined that this discretion by the transport authority should be predicated on ‘trust’ especially involving operators who have been operating without significant incident with the law.
He encouraged operators and owners to prepare for their future by ensuring that they have the requisite plans in place to secure a pension and health plan and urged them to sign up for NHT and NIS benefits to ensure their social security as they age.
In his 2018 sectoral presentation, Montague announced a sixteen point transportation reform proposal.
Since then, he has conducted 11 consultations with various stakeholders to modify the points proposed.
The minister committed to the operators to return to the west as part of an island wide series of meetings planned for later this year.