ACKNOWLEDGING that citizens, particularly children living in rural parishes, are not equally provided for by the public transportation system, Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz says the Government is looking at implementing a Rural School Transportation System (RSTS), on a phased basis.

Making the announcement during his contribution to the 2024/25 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Vaz said this is a priority programme aimed at ensuring the provision of an accessible, safe, reliable, efficient, affordable, and welcoming mode of transportation for students in rural areas.

He said that while students living in and attending schools within the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR) benefit from the service of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) and other sub-franchisees, which is heavily subsidised by the Government, this is not the case for rural students.

“The ministry acknowledges the hardships faced by our citizens in rural parishes across the island and is currently engaged in determining a mechanism to bring some relief to the cost of commute with specific reference to students in the first instance. The intention is to cause a significant reduction in the cost of transportation in rural areas, again reducing their misery index,” he said.

The minister said it is estimated that households in rural Jamaica spend more than $8 billion annually for transportation for students to access primary and secondary education.

He pointed out that the poverty alleviation component of the RSTS is designed to remove this financial burden from the poorest and most vulnerable.

Vaz noted, however, that to achieve this objective, it is estimated that an annual subsidy of $10.62 billion will be required to adequately provide the system, noting that the actual implementation is expected to be private sector-driven, as $10 billion a year is not sustainable for the Government.

“We have received support from the Ministry of Education and Youth for this initiative and it is now to engage with the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service as to how to fund its implementation,” he said.

“As a rural MP, I will not rest until this Rural School Transportation System is up and running and serving our nation’s children,” he vowed.

“We need to do something; we see the horrific accidents happening which can’t continue. They cannot learn and excel in the conditions that they are travelling and the miles that they are walking every morning,” he said.

Vaz also disclosed that his ministry is working assiduously to look at how to revamp Montego Bay Metro bus service.

“With the expanding routes and the expanding population and investment that is happening down there, [they] need reliable transportation. What obtains down there now with the amount of buses is just not workable. So we’re looking at doing a complete review,” he said.

“We can’t allow private transport operators to take over because the differentials in the fares will be too much for the ordinary commuter and have an impact on inflation. We are looking at that and you will hear more about that,” he told the Parliament.