Millwood

President of the National Transport Cooperative Society (NTCS), Ezroy Millwood, is expressing concern about the future of his organisation because of dwindling revenue.

Millwood highlighted his concerns at a press conference in St Andrew yesterday.

He told reporters that in April, additional buses of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) were placed on routes also serviced by the NTCS. At the same time, Millwood said his entity's requests for the transport ministry to allow more NTCS buses on these routes were denied.

Decline in income

As a result, Millwood said his bus operators are experiencing a decline in income, from an average of $25,000 per day to $9,000 rendering them unable to service bank loans and meet ever-increasing operating costs.

Millwood said he was expecting further losses as an additional 200 buses have been ordered from Brazil to complement the JUTC's fleet.

On Monday, the NTCS was granted leave by the Court of Appeal to take its case against the Government, regarding breaches of a bus franchise agreement, to the United Kingdom-based Privy Council.

Lawyers for the bus company are expected to submit the relevant documents to the appellate court within 90 days.

In May, the Government won the 10-year legal battle with the company.

It followed the administration's 2001 takeover of the public transportation system in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region in a bid to rationalise the sector.