Effective Sunday, the fleet of Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses plying routes across the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR) will increase from 244 to 350.

This will be facilitated through the introduction of a number of buses which the state-run entity recently acquired.

Managing director, JUTC, Colin Campbell, who made the disclosure during a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank, at the JIS' head office in Kingston last week, said 35 new buses, imported earlier this year, have been serviced and are ready to be incorporated into the fleet.

"What 350 buses will enable us to do is to provide a more predictable schedule for commuters, obviously to provide more seats on the routes, so that customers won't have to seek alternative modes of transportation," he stated.

Campbell said the fleet is slated to be further increased to 400 by year-end, a move which will also be facilitated through the acquisition of new buses as well as re-introduction of repaired units.

He said an additional 20 articulated (twin) buses have been released from the wharf and are slated to be commissioned into service by late October.

Further, several buses, which were taken out of service for repairs, should also be returned shortly as the requisite parts have been received.

Campbell advised that some 15 of 40 units withdrawn to facilitate tyre installations are slated to be re-introduced shortly, as this exercise has been completed.

"Therefore, out of a combination of new buses, repairs, purchasing of tyres, and refurbishing of buses, we intend to achieve the roll-out numbers. Once we achieve the roll-out numbers and can consistently keep those seats on the road, we should be able to bring our revenues up an additional $118 million per month," Campbell said.