TODSS demands swift Road Traffic Act review as demerit points strain transport operators

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Transport Operators Development Sustainable Service (TODSS) has asked for a prompt reassessment of the Road Traffic and Transport Authority Act, contending that several sections of the statute are weighing unfairly on public transport workers and eroding the financial stability of the industry.

In a statement released Wednesday, the group also advised operators to reject upcoming traffic ticket days and to pursue outstanding matters through the courts until a thorough legislative review is completed.

TODSS said the existing legal framework is delivering "more harm than good" to public transportation. It highlighted what it described as a flawed arrangement created by two distinct laws governing the sector, which it said is weakening operators' standing.

The organisation argued that the combined weight of those statutes is working "to demolish the sector and to turn the over 40,000 workers in the sector into hardened criminals".

While accepting that the demerit point system was designed to keep dangerous motorists off the roads, TODSS maintained that the way points are now being applied needs urgent scrutiny. It labelled the current demerit regime "a weapon of mass destruction" against transport operators, saying many drivers are collecting points for non-moving violations rather than for reckless driving.

"Majority of tickets received by transport operators are for non-movable offences which means that the operator gets the ticket for stopping at the wrong place but is there a right place to stop? Especially in the KMTR (Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region)," it said.

TODSS reiterated that although the demerit framework was meant to filter out unsafe drivers, the present points system cannot remain unchanged without a legislative reset.

"If the present system and Act remain as is, come October 1, 2026, the transport sector will see a loss of over 8,000 workers in three months," the organisation added.