Dr Clarke: $600M Support for Taxi Operators

The Government of Jamaica will be spending just under 600-million dollars to provide relief to taxi operators grappling with rising fuel costs. The Finance Minister Dr. Nigel Clarke made the announcement as he closed the 2022/23 budget debate in the house of representatives yesterday.

Dr. Clarke says the government needs to protect those who depend on public transportation and will do so by supporting public transport operators. He says to cushion the rising cost of fuel, the government will provide $25,000 in vouchers to operators of public passenger vehicles, including route taxi operators and contract carriage operators.

The finance minister also notes the government will increase the allocation towards transportation assistance for students on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) by 40 per cent, at a cost of $152 million in the 2022/2023 fiscal year.

Meanwhile, he says the $750 million food assistance programme he announced in his opening budget presentation will target 75,000 persons across a mix of modalities. 

These initiatives are part of the government’s overall social assistance support of $3.7 billion. More details here: