The organisers of the 2012 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, the Art of Music, have orchestrated a fine-tuned transportation systemfor patrons planning to attend the 2012 edition of the festival, which is slated for the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium from January 26-28.
Transportation will be easier and more affordable throughout the festival, with taxi services, JUTC buses, Knutsford Express and shuttleservices all working in tandem to provide an efficient, affordable transportation experience for patrons from across the island.
Jazz Taxi Shuttle services will be available at a cost of $2,500 from Manchester, St Elizabeth and Westmoreland, while Hanover Jazz patrons will only have to find $2,000 for their round trip to the festival.
Persons travelling from St James will pay $1,000, while Kingston Jazz fans will pay $2,700, courtesy of Knutsford Express. The Knutsford Express will also leave from Portmore in St Catherine for $2,300. The Express will also pick up passengers in Ocho Rios and transport them to the venue at a cost of $1,900.
The locations for the Jazz Taxi Shuttles will be the Transport Centre in Mandeville, Manchester; Santa Cruz in St Elizabeth; Hopewell Mall and Lucea Transport Centre in Hanover; Negril Hi-Lo Plaza and Hendon Circle Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland; and UDC Car Park and Whitter Plaza in St James. Trelawny Jazz Taxi Shuttles can be had at Clarks, Jackson and Stewart towns and Duncans.
For the Kingston patrons, the shuttle will depart from the National Stadium Parking Lot, while the Emmanuel Apostolic Church’s grounds will be the departure point for the Portmore shuttle. The Ocho Rios shuttle will depart from the Jerk Centre.
On show days the shuttles will depart each location at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. in Manchester and St Elizabeth, while Hanover departure times will be 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Westmoreland shuttles will depart at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. from Negril Plaza and 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. from Hendon Circle. The St James shuttle will pick up patrons at 4 p.m. and every 20 minutes thereafter.
The Kingston and Portmore Knutsford Express buses will depart at 2 p.m. on Thursday, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Ocho Rios shuttle will depart the Jerk Centre at 4 p.m. each day.
Apart from the transportation locations across the island, special shuttle services will also operate from most hotels in and around the tourist areas.