8% INCREASE NOW AND ANOTHER 8% JULY 1, NO FARE TABLES
OCHO RIOS, St Ann; June 2, 2026
Bus and taxi fares have gone up.
The Government announced Tuesday morning, June 2, that an increase in fares for taxis and stage carriage buses would take effect today.
Cabinet approved the increase of 16 percent, but only half of that comes into effect now, and the other half, or 8 percent more, on July 1.
The Opposition is calling it gimmickry and the way it was announced: “highly unusual.”.
The hike is part of an old increase that was already approved in 2023 when Government said it was granting a 35 per cent increase in fares. However, Minister of Transport Daryl Vaz said, at the time the increase was to take effect, that because of wanting to control inflation, only a 19 percent increase was then granted. The other 16 percent was deferred.
Mr Vaz in speaking to this new announcement, Tuesday, June 2, said eight percent would be charged on fares as of Tuesday, June 2, and the other eight percent would be applied on Wednesday, July 1.
However, no fare table has been published showing the new fares on hundreds of routes.
The Opposition, in criticizing the move, described it as gimmickry
Reacting to the two-phased fare increase announced by Mr Vaz, Opposition Spokesman on Transport Mikael Phillips said the announcement was also “highly unusual and extremely disrespectful to commuters.”
“How does the government implement a new fare without notice to public passengers”? The Opposition spokesman asked.
He further asked how the government could announce the new fare to take immediate effect, when the Transport Authority was not notified and no new fare table was gazetted?
Giving examples of what the fare increase would mean, Mr Vaz used one of the most popular routes in St Ann, Ocho Rios to St Ann’s Bay. He said the rate was now $200 and would move to 220 immediately, with a further increase in July.
For the fare from Ocho Rios to Kingston, on the rural stage carriage bus, the rate, he said, moves from $560 to $610 now, and another increase in July.
However, the Kingston to Ocho Rios operators have long been charging $600, and more when they use the toll road.
