JCAL: Tour Bus Operators Struggling To Keep Afloat

Tour bus operators struggling to keep afloat, due to COVID-19 – The President of Jamaica Co-operative Automobile and Limousine Tours Ltd. (JCAL) in Montego Bay is calling for the government’s assistance as drivers continue to feel the brunt of the COVID-19 effects. Since the advent of COVID-19, tour bus operators have been struggling to keep afloat, even with incoming passengers daily, they say the demand for transport has been adversely affected.

President of JCAL Tours Limited, Brian Thelwell says that only half of the one thousand two hundred registered members are actively working. 

Some he says have resorted to farming, while others are operating locally on the road. Thelwell adds that some operators fear loosing their vehicles because they cannot afford to pay their monthly loans. 

They were invited to a meeting two weeks ago at Jamaica House where they made petitions for assistance. Thelwell is of the opinion that the government should tweak the current policies for incoming passengers to the island. 

Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton says data from the Norman Manley International Airport reveals that Jamaica is expected to see just over 33 and a half thousand passengers in November and another 43, 386 in December.